Pullman - Viewfinder (2001, Reissue 2015)

Pullman formed several years ago as a result of a common interest in acoustic music by Chris Brokaw (Come), Curtis Harvey (Rex, The Letter E), Ken Brown (Directions) and Doug McCombs (Tortoise, Brokeback, Eleventh Dream Day). Their first album, Turnstyles and Junkpiles, was recorded live to 2-track and entirely acoustic; released in the fall of 1998, the album was enthusiastically greeted by press and fans alike. On Viewfinder, Pullman have broadened their sonic palette by adding drummer Tim Barnes (Jim O'Rourke) and incorporating electric instruments for the first time. This is shown to great affect on "Wire and One Good Shoe" where the electric and acoustic guitars weave a brilliant tapestry of melody that does not betray Pullman's affinity for rustic soundscapes. "Same Grain With New Wood" starts off with a rolling acoustic pattern that soon gives way to percussion, feedback and steel guitar that reveal a sweeping expanse, heretofore only hinted at on prior Pullman recordings. In the past, Pullman pursued a simpler, more bucolic vision that was in many ways a reaction to the prevailing approaches used by some of the other groups with whom they worked. With Viewfinder, Pullman have begun to embrace some of the sounds one might associate with the member's other projects.