Pleasence
Tucked away in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke Ken Reaume pens eerie psych-folk as Black Walls. Acedia marks his full-length vinyl debut following a series of hard-to-find albums and the Four Horses 7-inch and it’s a gift to have it made widely available. Soft fingers plucking strings understated electronics and Reaume’s lulling voice are all that’s needed to produce one of the most haunting recordings of the year.
Though the songs often stretch past seven minutes (or even 10 on the epic “Pines”) Acedia drifts by like a reoccurring dream. That same feeling of half-familiar nostalgia is evoked on “Brian Lotti” a short interlude sampling the dialogue of the eponymous pro skateboarder to throw a fresh spin on an old post-rock trick. Phil Elverum and Mark Kozelek are two surface level touchpoints but on the bonus track “Sapling” a slightly rougher sound and vocals higher in the mix summon Elliot Smith. Yet the true moment of Zen is the final four moments of “Pines” as multiple guitar lines tangle against the sound of lapping waves to wash all worries away.
<a href="http://blackwalls.bandcamp.com/album/acedia" mce_href="http://blackwalls.bandcamp.com/album/acedia">Acedia by Black Walls</a>
