Editorial Reviews
Mojo, 2003
Four stars! ...may occasionally make Nick Drake sound full o' beans, but their forlorn, otherworldly beauty is seldom less captivating.
dB Magazine, 2003
Debridement is already a shoe-in for best release of 2003.
Debridement
Debridement,Rivulets,Chairkickers Music,Dream Pop,Indie Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop
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Debridement
Rivulets Manufacturer: Chairkickers Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
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Indie Rock
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Dream Pop
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
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| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
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ASIN: B00008DKCL Release Date: 2003-03-04 |
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Customer Reviews:
title of review.......2004-06-10
Stylus Magazine review - 8.0.......2003-06-14
Nathan Amundson's sole band proprietorship, Rivulets, is essentially a means for catharsis. Each track on Debridment began as a "humble voice-and-guitar" piece and was then made over with the assistance of Nathan's close musical friends--from Jessica Bailiff to Jon Derosa and Brian John Mitchell--the latter two also contributing to The Alcohol EPs with Nathan. Most notably, Alan Sparhawk of Low reprises his role at the helm of the mixing board from the debut Rivulets album, and succeeds in maintaining a feeling of intimacy (although I'm sure recording the album in a late 19th century cathedral provided ample inspiration) despite the added instrumentation.
Dedicated to those friends, Debridement opens with a Amundson's chilling a cappella disclosing the ominous line "There's an evil in this room" repeatedly; invoking the malevolent forces and paranoid isolation that pervade the album. Debridement, after all, is the act of excising contaminated or devitalized tissue. "Cutter" contains the most explicit reference to the title with the wry cry of "I brought the blade to my skin"; exemplifying the exhibitionist element that penetrates the work of Rivulets. "Conversation With a Half-Empty Bottle" is Nathan in full inebriation mode, battling alcoholic demons, repeating the leitmotif from The Alcohol EPs. You almost expect to hear him collapse from his chair, a la "Gimme Excess." The motif of addiction appears again on "Shakes", which also contains the first percussion of the album.
The debut, Rivulets, was essentially a sole guitar and ambiance affair--and Alan Sparhawk continues that element. The guitar strumming is kept forward in the mix, with the added instrumentation noticeable, yet unobtrusive. Many of the tracks contain a soft hissing ambiance, the gentle lulling of background traffic, or a creaking chair. "Get Out Alive" epitomizes what critics have deemed Rivulets' style--"underwater folk"--much thanks due to Sparhawk. "Bridges" as well, is hauntingly produced, with echoing footsteps on concrete leading into a wistful organ atmosphere. The former track is an archetypal closer to a squirm-inducing, voyeuristic album. It would be much too simple to write Debridement off as overwrought, solitary grousing, but closer examination reveals a story of the triumph and power of companions in times of dejection.
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