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It’s all quite beautiful and inoffensive, and that in itself may be an admirable goal. But what it lacks is the experimental--or at least, improvisatory--bent of Tortoise, as well as lacking a lot of what made the last Brokeback record so great.
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Sometimes it sounds like Ennio Morricone, sometimes the Penguin Café Orchestra. Mostly it sounds like its own thing.
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This isn't music about angst or ego, hooks or licks, or lyrics we've heard before.
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Unsurprising, and not much of a main course, but a tasty and satisfying side dish nonetheless.
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Q MagazineNothing scary or difficult ever happens. [Feb 2003, p.96]
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UncutSlow-shifting movements and droning textures show McCombs choosing familiarity over fresh adventures. [Feb 2003, p.75]
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Looks at the Bird falls somewhere between chamber jazz and background music, a pleasant drift of different ideas that come in and out of focus like elements of a nice dream.
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The WireBrokeback's airier tendencies are always balanced against the hint of depth and punchiness behind the twin basses, and the bittersweet, reflective quality of the melodic lines. [#228, p.57]
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While the structured nature of [Looks At The Bird] is likely to hold your attention longer than the static and hum of Brokeback's last release, Morse Code in the Modern Age, the lack of challenge often detracts from the fulfillment that comes with a difficult listen.
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However, while Looks at the Bird's expanded arrangements are more conventionally "listenable" than much of Field Recordings, this comes at a small price.