Good Corners, Medlén at Dark Horse ArtBar

Good Corners patiently tugs together threads of ambient music and cosmic country, and the duo plays here to celebrate their debut album. The best moments on Corners Bloody Corners use the gentle, shimmering lilt of John Hitchcock’s pedal steel and electric guitar to gradually pull the listener into lingering melodic themes. Amid Hitchcock’s bending and ringing strings, Ryan Lansing uses a variety of elements (including synths, tape loops, and baritone guitar) to create atmospheres that are at once wide-open and full of scratchy, warm texture. 

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All six tracks on the album give the duo plenty of time to sink in, the shortest one running just under seven minutes. The overall effect is sometimes eerie and mournful (“Into The Sky), sometimes euphoric (“We Have Always Been Here”), and sometimes it hits those in-between emotional zones where ambient music thrives (“Poor Lightning”). Good Corners recorded the album live to tape without overdubs, an approach that should translate well on a live stage. They’ll also be donating proceeds from sales of digital and cassette copies of Corners Bloody Corners to the Water Protector Legal Collective. —Scott Gordon

Photo by Nicholas Davies.