Dave Heumann

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Sun Cru captures a new album from Dave Heumann (Arbouretum, Human Bell, Coil Sea), a collection of late-night electric guitar improvisations that linger on the imagination long after the album draws to a close. Recorded late last year and into the beginning of 2022, Guitar Tapes Vol 1 evokes a wandering spirit. Often electric odes can find themselves working towards dry landscapes, arid vistas that gnaw at the Western air like Barn Owl or Dean McPhee. For this collection Heumann sticks closer to the deciduous dens of the Eastern seaboard, a set that feels the wind between the leaves, even as the darkness obscures them from view. The temperature here is cool, with a dampness set to creep in, but despite the dewiness, its proves an inviting album that seeks to restore a sense of balance to the listener.

There’s a loping meditation to the record, an accompaniment to the roaming nature of the pieces. Heumenn’s playing focuses on the winding motifs that play out like twisting mantras, urging the listener to push away the outside and use the headphones to guide them deep into nature’s embrace. I’ve always had a love for walking with music. Since the advent of the Walkman, the ability to block out the noise and soundtrack the world with a tone of your own making has been appealing. In cities it turned the commutes into cinematic swirls, in the country it deepens the drive to commune with the Earth. Heumann seems to understand this urge, creating an album that’s perfect for calming the loose ends of the mind, a counterbalance to daily chaos.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.

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