Gunn-Truscinski Duo - Ocean Parkway

(Three Lobed Recordings, 2012)

                The second LP from the collaborative duo of Steve Gunn and John Truscinski is simply mesmerizing. It sounds like much more than a guitarist and percussionist jamming together; you’d think there was a full band performing intricately composed sonatas just because of the perfect—oh, sure, I’ll use that repugnant word—synergy that the two have achieved. It’s not just cohesion, but a transcendental unity that permeates their sound, the feeling that they aren’t just interacting with their instruments and trading ideas, but rather expressing different iterations of the same idea.

                The duo’s first LP Sand City, also released by Three Lobed, was a relatively improvised study in open tunings. Gunn explored the modal possibilities opened to him by tuning his guitar in some sort of drop-D style. (From the sounds of it, his tuning is likely far removed from standard tuning, but to my untrained ear, the specifics will remain a mystery. Update: I recently emailed Steve Gunn to inquire about this, and he informed me that most of the songs are in some variation of DADGAD tuning.) Truscinski locked right into a groove with him, and the full potential of the melodic motifs became vividly apparent. On Ocean Parkway, the first few minutes of the opening titular track have you thinking that it’s roughly more of the same—vaguely raga-esque wanderings, lush and serene, very loose and subdued… but suddenly the song becomes incredibly lucid. Truscinski begins tapping out a light 6/8 groove, and Gunn’s electric guitar joins in with a clear, uplifting major-key jazz-rock melody that sounds as if the two had suddenly been jolted awake and were driven by a singular purpose.

                In terms of this vibrant, driving force permeating the spirit of the music, the rest of the songs are on par with the opener, though that 10-minute epic is the most resounding statement of it. Much of the album would lead us to suspect that the Duo were taking more of a blues-rock approach—“Country Fair Getaway” on Side B is especially bluesy. Aside from the swampy pentatonic licks jiving  in the upbeat stomping tempo, Gunn’s virtuosity makes the track just as dreamy and haunting as the rest. “Banh Mi Ringtones” rather lightheartedly fuses the blues influence with some cheery Oriental harmonies. It prompted me to describe the track in my KZSU review as sounding like Chet Atkins and Link Wray taking psychedelic drugs. But drugs are completely unnecessary for enjoying this album; all you need is a sincere appreciation for two people genuinely communicating their souls through their instruments. Their melodies are complex, but it's really that simple.

                As much as they draw on the distinctly American influences of the Takoma school of folk (e.g. Fahey, et al) the Duo are never shy about playing with an exotic flair. I am reminded as much of John Fahey, Mississippi John Hurt, and Stephen Stills as I am of raga guitar in the vein of Sir Richard Bishop. The only acoustic track “Don’t Lean On Door” is more in this style, very reminiscent of the first LP, as is the closing track, “Minetta River.” The end result is an album that feels very warm and familiar, while its evocative power is truly unique, and when the needle hits the grooves, you will find yourself experiencing something quite indescribable and new.

Get it from the label here: http://threelobed.com/tlr/tlr087.html