Talk West - To Hope Is to Hanker (2011)

- Foxy Digitalis
To Hope is to Hanker is, simply put, a really good tape. It blends a lot of different elements together that I’ve never quite heard like this before. It’s got a simple finger-picking folkery going for it, along with a Spaghetti Western twang, and almost an art-school film-score quality. All of these blur together into some drone meld syrupy concoction that leaks into your heart and spills into your spirit. Alternating between mind-numbing zones and intimate reflections, its seven tracks give you some excellent opportunities to get lost. I can equally imagine popping this one in on a lonely drive home after time spent with loved ones or on a quiet rainy night that is squalled with insomnia. Talk West was a fantastic discovery and I really appreciate having had this tape shared with me. It comes in the standard issue dress for Avant Archives, with black/white photography and clean white appointments. (TW received an 8/10)

Tracklist:
1-1 Talk West - Boxcar Billow [1:49]
1-2 Talk West - Unseen Weight [2:26]
1-3 Talk West - Grace The Humble Stumble [2:11]
1-4 Talk West - Holed Honey Shade Tree [2:10]
1-5 Talk West - Buddha TV [2:43]
1-6 Talk West - Soften [7:14]
1-7 Talk West - Be For Glee [5:00]