Artist: All Tiny Creatures
Album: Harbors

The musical output of Wisconsin is all too noticeable these past few years. And, though there may appear to be an artistic outpouring of creativity, it turns out it’s all coming from a small handful of prolific minds. All Tiny Creatures is the collective output of Thoma Wincek’s brain for all the moments he’s not creating music for his other bands, namely Collections of Colonies of Bees and Volcano Choir. Both of these projects are notable here; Harbors presents guest vocals from the likes of Volcano Choir contributor Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) and friends/labelmates Megafaun, among several others, and the progressive instrumental post-rock-esque backing tracks bear some resemblance to the work of Collections of Colonies of Bees. Lots of light, twisting, turning, looping guitar lines, naive romantic lyrics and generally joyous soundscapes packed with layers of intricate melodies. While everything melts together well, the lack of breathing room could overwhelm or otherwise suffocate the ears for nearly the entirety of the release. In that regard, the proggy vibe may be too much for some and just what others are looking for. Thankfully the end of the record provides more atmosphere to round things out, leaving one to wonder why they didn’t spread a little more of that throughout. (Hometapes)