Test Spin: Brightblack Morning Light

In a musical world full of dandies and poseurs, it’s a rare thing indeed to come across a band with its feet on the ground. Enter Brightblack Morning Light, a duo so earth-oriented that they spend significant amounts of their time alone in the woods writing, singing and — one can only assume — ingesting. Hirsute and oozing effortless cool, they’re a much-needed reminder that the spirit of the ’60s has not yet perished from the earth.
Comprised of New Mexicans Rachel Hughes and Nathan Shineywater, BML has proven once again on their new LP Motion to Rejoin why they are the world-masters of trippy riffs and mind-bending sonic grooviness. Reverb-soaked vocal harmonies assault the ear as sultry organ and loose tambourine plod along in the background; loping tempos lull the listener into a warm, world-negating trance.
There’s not much here that wasn’t on BML’s first, eponymously titled LP: The lazy contentment and lean-back breathiness sound practically the same on both albums. But that’s quite alright, because the timeless sound (and perfectly nonsensical titles) of tracks like “Hologram Buffalo” and “A Rainbow Aims” leave little to be asked for. Hell, even a joint wouldn’t help much — BML is perhaps the modern era’s best reproducer of addled-state ease sans substance (I can see the bumper-sticker now — Brightblack Morning Light: my anti-drug).
Of course, there’s no doubt a significant amount of peace pipe-puffing went into the making of this album, and one can only applaud the results. If you’re looking for a way to pass a lazy afternoon or get in touch with your earth spirits, Motion to Rejoin is certainly the way to go.