Birthmark - The Layer

Under the appellation Birthmark, Nate Kinsella has embraced restraint in spite of the compositional boundlessness typically borne by musical virtuosity. On his debut album The Layer, the inventive and often byzantine drum set/Wurlitzer style he developed over the past four years in the band Make Believe is all but absent, revealing a quiet and uncanny tension of minimalist focus. And while Kinsella performed all of the music on The Layer, recalling his multi-instrumental duties in the band Joan of Arc, the listener is more awestruck by the attention to integration and score than by a whirlwind of prowess. The Layer represents an effort that began over eight years ago with the song "Flightless Bird," which was originally written for a friend's unfinished film project. Over time, the songs transitioned through amorphous forms until their ideal structures were achieved, further revealing The Layer to be a product of discreet process. In fact, two sharply contrasting songs on The Layer "A Solitary Angle on the Confinement of Doom" and "The Layer" started as the same tune, and the piano throughout was recorded in Minnesota over two consecutive Christmas vacations. While the recording of the album spans four years and numerous locations, it is bound by an elegant and earthy lyrical form that is telling of Kinsella's ardent atheism and wonder at the natural world. The Layer further bears witness to his growth as a recording engineer, which ostensibly began with his former band decembers architects' only LP and progressed to collaborating on multiple recordings by Joan of Arc, Sharks and Seals, Owen, and most recently the soundtrack to Tim Kinsella's debut film, Orchard Vale. As Birthmark, Nate Kinsella's The Layer is a remarkable album that rewards both the casual and attentive listener alike.

(2007, polyvinyl )

01. The Layer
02. Flightless Bird
03. Down Limbs
04. Cumulus Stimulus
05. Leave Seeds
06. Haunted Vessel
07. A Solitary Angle on the Confinement of Doom
08. The Everyman
09. Escape Routes Merge and Pool

Birthmark - The Layer (2007)