Drawing of Sound

The second full-length release by Windy & Carl finds the Detroit-based duo building on the concepts first explored on 1994's Portal. Not quite formless enough to be ambient music, but more delicate than the driving rhythms of space rock, and with an almost folky indie pop edge, Windy & Carl's lengthy songs (only the opening "You" falls under five minutes; the other four tracks are in the eight- to 11-minute range) are their own little breed of psychedelia. Where bands like Charalambides make a virtue of their indistinctness, these songs can be maddening to a listener used to more song-based music, as they almost but never quite cohere into proper pop songs. Bassist Windy Weber's vocals are agreeably breathy and kittenish, but they're mixed so softly that understanding more than a stray phrase or two is impossible. Add the gossamer haze of Carl Hultgren's overdubbed guitars and the overall effect of Drawing of Sound is not unlike listening to a Cocteau Twins album, from the next room, while coming out from under anesthesia. This is not necessarily a bad thing.