I gotta say, any record label that embraces the history of President James K. Polk in the year 2003 is worthy in my book. Anyway, this ABILENE record sounds like something I’d hear coming out of the speakers in my Dentist’s office, if only he was into indie rock. “Two Guns, Twin Arrows” is like dischordant slow-jazz…mostly due the deep bass feel, mated with an eerie saxophone sound, prevalent throughout all of the eight tracks. Normally, I’d complain about having a lack of patience to tolerate the snail’s pace that swirls around on here, but something about ABILENE enguffs my attention span and swallows it up whole. The incredibly rich production quality gives this band a ton of depth, and ample room to manuever their crashing sounds. To match the smooth sounds of the saxophone, the vocals contribute in that same kind of healing manner, even when they emotionally push past in range. I found this disc to work optimally while studying, and ordinarily, some take that to be an insult, but if you feel that always need to have music on in the background, even when your concentration needs to focus elsewhere, almost solely on one item, ABILENE’s “Two Guns, Two Arrows,” may provide that gap that you’re looking for.

54’40 or Fight