Timbervision

Album Review

Ever since 2001's Vegetation = Fuel, it was evident Montreal DJ Freeworm (Vincent Letellier) was fascinated with nature and the sounds emanating from the great outdoors. Timbervision, his first project released under the National Parcs name (a trio consisting of him, singer/lyricist Chimwemwe Miller and director Ian Cameron) is the first full realization of this love. The group spent parts of two years recording samples from their cross-seasonal trips in the wilderness of Quebec. For a concept so unusual as to create a record based on the sounds of hitting stones, kicking sand, and cawing crows, Timbervision could have easily turned into a novelty project, unable to maintain any momentum after initially grabbing listeners' attention with its unique arrangements. Herein lies the group's secret weapon: the dual vocal work of Freeworm and Miller. The music is deceptively simple, usually made up of a few continuous nature-based samples, but Freeworm and Miller elevate every song to a lively party (or at the very least a roaring campfire circle) with their spiritually styled vocals. It sounds like an unusual mix, but the earthy church harmonies mesh perfectly with the beats provided by their many treks through the wilderness. Songs packed tight with samples, such as "Border Patrol" and its many wood sounds, could have easily degenerated into excessive post-modern experimentation, but Freeworm and Miller give a much-needed human element to complement the clattering sticks and stones.

The group still uses electronic samples and conventional instruments. "Twelve Word Song" rolls seamlessly with DJ scratches, a jug player, a horse exhaling, and a consistent acoustic guitar riff. Each song is a tricky puzzle of multiple samples blending together into one hummable beat. The album is surprisingly danceable, as well. The album also comes with a DVD that features a video for each song, and shorter videos showing off how the group came up with their samples. It's an important element to the album since it uncovers the amount of detail hidden in every track.