Asleep In the Downlights

The soft blankets of guitar wash resonating from Asleep in the Downlights make it hard to believe that Nashville’s Hammock recorded this EP in 2011; it plays like something born in the shoegazing scene of early-‘90s Camden Town, London. Guest vocals from Steve Kilbey (frontman of The Church) make the opening song, “No Agenda,” sound like it was recorded in England more than a decade ago. Lilting electric guitar leads pumped through delay effects float over layers of softened six-string distortion to make “Sinking Inside Yourself” sound like the kind of sonic whirlpool heard on Slowdive’s debut, Just for a Day. Some further Church worship surfaces with “Verse for Forgiveness,” as that band’s Tim Powles takes the microphone this time. Under copious amounts of effects, he sings over spectral soundscapes that recall the post-goth heyday of the 4AD label (think This Mortal Coil). The seven-minute closer, “Parkers Chapel,” is the most hauntingly beautiful song here. Otherworldly guitar sounds howl and moan above a slow and steady rhythm as Andrew Thompson sings with a cool restraint.