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Desertshore - Drawing Of Threes (2011): Not a Kozelek project on its face, Desertshore is an (ostensibly) instrumental duo made up of former Red House Painters guitarist (and frequent Kozelek collaborator) Phil Carney and classically trained pianist Chris Connolly. Kozelek was producing the band's sophomore album, Drawing Of Threes (which was also to be released on Kozelek's Caldo Verde label), and one day he just picked up a mic and started singing to the music. Kozelek eventually contributed vocals to six of the album's 10 tracks, and while no one will ever confuse Drawing Of Threes with, say, Songs For A Blue Guitar or Ghosts Of The Great Highway, this album channels those the same way a warm breeze through an open window recalls a long-forgotten summer vacation.

review

If the sweetly dreamy but subtly twisted sound of Desertshore sounds a bit familiar, it may be because you're remembering guitarist Phil Carney's previous gigs in Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon -- or you may be picking up on the classical background of his partner, pianist Chris Connolly. On the band's second album, the two are joined by drummers Dave Muench and Mike Stevens, and by Carney's former Sun Kil Moon bandmate Mark Kozelek, who sings on the first six of the album's ten tracks. The resulting sound is utterly gorgeous: if song titles like "Randy Quaid" and "Pollen Hinges" signal any ironic intent, it's thoroughly buried beneath layers and layers of softly ringing guitars, gently relentless melodic hooks, simple-but-elegant piano parts, and Kozelek's disarmingly plainspoken vocals. As enjoyable as Kozelek's contributions are, though, it's the instrumental tracks that embed their hooks most deeply: the shimmering "Matchlight Arcana," the gorgeous and disappointingly brief "Pollen Hinges" and "Light Flowers," and the equally beautiful "Hellborg" (a tribute to bassist Jonas Hellborg, perhaps?). This is an exceptionally lovely album. ~ Rick Anderson

Disc is fine, in very good condition. Digipack has some definite wear- please see scans of front and back for a look. Cover has a sticker (visible on scan) but it is not a promo sticker.