And The Mighty Thread (Blue Vinyl)

For his third post-Cotton Jones solo LP, Michael Nau recorded all the tracks in one location for the first time. Setting up shop in co-producer Benny Yurco's apartment with his backing band spread throughout available rooms, the more collaborative spirit prompted him to pay tribute to bandmates with the title Michael Nau & the Mighty Thread. In all, eight guests contributed performances to the album, though core players included Yurco (lap steel, 12-string and electric guitars), Will Brown (various keys), and Houndstooth's Graeme Gibson (drums). The set-up contributed to a sturdier, slightly broader sound without imposing on Nau's chill-out folk-rock atmosphere. His conversational delivery still evokes names like Neil Young and Johnny Cash without approximating them, and a breezy reverb lends a sun-streaked haze to his accompaniment, right from the opening track, "Less Than Positive." Jangly rhythm guitar and lively drums and tambourine underpin dreamier, sustained electric guitar, low-range piano, and humming keys as Nau contemplates things he can't explain ("In the middle of the sun, I'm thinking about the universe"). The album is consistently dreamy throughout, even on the relatively sparer "Funny Wind," which still incorporates acoustic and electric guitars, piano, vibraphone, and a rhythm section. Intricate arrangements and attentive performances keep the album from getting too sleepy, as does subtle variation. The layered sound approaches Spector-like proportions on the cavernous "When," for example, and the quirky "What's a Loon" employs wobbly tones and timbres alongside a funky slow groove. Throughout, Nau's lyrics search for answers among conflicting observations like "Making it too hard just comes easier" and "There goes somethin'/Yep, there it goes/Here goes nothin'/Just the way it goes." More a gentle expansion than a reformulation, The Mighty Thread should appeal to established fans and other daydreamers. ~ Marcy Donelson