Skygreen Leopards - One Thousand Bird Ceremony
(Soft Abuse)
Considering all my ranting and raving about the exciting Jewelled Antler collective, I was surprised to find that the newest release, One Thousand Bird Ceremony by The Skygreen Leopards, finds me at a loss for words. Not because I've run out of things to say (that'll be the day). Rather, it's taken all the words I've used to describe the collective's improvisational wandering and incredible use of musique concrete and flipped them upside down.
Absent (for the most part) are the sounds of leaves rustling, wind blowing, drones echoing from cave walls, and incidental outdoor noises found in the Jewelled Antler's flagship bands Thuja and Blithe Sons. Instead, clean acoustic guitars jangle their way through concise and sugary folk songs, bringing to mind all kinds of classic guitar pop reference points. Not the least of which (fittingly enough, considering the title) is The Byrds.
Glenn Donaldson (of Thuja, Blithe Sons, The Birdtree and many others) and Donovan Quinn (of Verdure) make up The Skygreen Leopards.
And truly, among the Jewelled Antler crowd, they aren't completely out on their own. A similar collaboration (between Jason Honea and Loren Chasse) is The Child Readers who also play straight forward, hummable songs. Also, Glenn's solo project, The Birdtree, is largely pop. However, never has it been so distinct. Shimmering acoustic guitars lace a web of pure 60s pop around Donovan's mumbly Lou Reed-ish vocals. And when Glenn's voice pops in, like on "Walk With the Golden Cross," oh man! There's absolutely no mistaking these guys hail from San Fransisco. Breezy, sunny, and as bright as the West Coast has ever been.
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