Sounding like a lonely recluse that’s reemerged from self-imposed exile in some far-flung wilderness, Paul Duncan creates a tangled weave of ambience and imagery, the result of which is a lovely example of ambient folk splendor. Duncan’s third album is his most cohesive yet, a shimmering series of pastoral ballads wrapped in acoustic guitar, pedal steel, violin and dark, mournful vocals which recall Buffalo Springfield-era Steven Stills at his most melancholic. With dense atmospheric arrangements and descriptive song titles like “Red Eagle,” “The Lake” and “High in the Morning,” Above The Trees soars on the strength of Duncan’s evocative, overcast soundscapes and contemplative nocturnal musings. The Nick Drake comparison is frequently over-used, but here it seems apt, in terms of both mood and mélange. Gene Clark’s solo work also comes to mind, in the graceful sway of “High in the Morning” and the sweeping refrain of “Red Eagle.” Suffice it to say, Duncan’s an artist who bears watching and Above The Trees is one of the most sensual and seductive albums in recent memory. To put it in a word, it’s nothing short of brilliant.
--Lee Zimmerman
