Elkhorn - The Red Valley '2024

Tracks list

NYC psych-folk duo Elkhorn head skywards on their latest studio full-length,
adding folk instruments like the frame drum and the zither to their dueling
guitar rituals.

Since their self-titled debut in 2016, Jesse Sheppard and Drew Gardner have been
tirelessly tearing apart the folk rulebook, blending dextrous acoustic 12-string
patterns with ritualistic psychedelic improvisation. Their emphasis has been on
sprawling long-form works and live performance, but on this latest set, they
head into the studio to lay down a more layered and intricately composed set -
and it's their most absorbing to date. The backbone is still Sheppard and
Gardner's interlocking guitar parts, but they augment the sound with more
instrumentation, adding vibraphone parts, frame drum knocks and glittering
zither parts, plus lever harp and pedal steel from Marissa Nadler and Greg Weeks
collaborator Jesse Sparhawk.

And although the songs are shorter than usual, clocking in at 5-10 minutes
rather than 20, they don't sound truncated. Elkhorn are more economical with
their sounds on this one, focusing on the momentum and the rich, cinematic
instrumentation rather than hypnotizing us with duration. Fans of Grails' early
material - this one's worth a closer look.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Elkhorn - Crystal Hummingbird (4:55) 
1.02 - Elkhorn - Gray Salt Trail (9:47) 
1.03 - Elkhorn - Black Wind of Kayenta (6:15) 
1.04 - Elkhorn - Road to Chaco Canyon (9:16) 
1.05 - Elkhorn - Inside Spider Rock (7:56) 
1.06 - Elkhorn - Jackrabbit Hops (5:18)

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