A quietly strummed acoustic guitar. Some tiny and understated keyboard sounds. Hushed boy/girl vocals that rarely rise above a whisper. Melodies that require as much restraint as they do ingenuity.

Those four statements are pretty much the basics that one would need to know about Nire’s new LP, Vespers. It’s a gorgeous and quiet little record that might just be the aural eqivalent of that indescribable half-awake/half-dreaming phase of comfort that many of us take for granted. As a matter of fact, I’ve lately been playing Vespers as I drift off to sleep, as that’s when it works best for me. Now, that isn’t a backhanded compliment or anything. Let me try and explain further…:

The audible lyrics on Vespers are great, sure, but they don’t seem to be the ultimate point. The acoustic guitar is gentle and chiming, and while it takes up a good portion of Nire’s soundscape, it also doesn’t seem to be the ultimate point of focus. No, the real magic happens in the spaces between the chords/lyrics and their comforting juxtaposition against the warm yet unintruding keyboard atmospherics. Not to mention the fact that when Erin Morgan and Josh Hinton sing in unison, their voices blend into one beautiful and ethereal instrument that quietly whispers a breeze of comfort into your ears.

For these reasons, I wouldn’t want to pick out specific songs as highlights. Vespers is a record that’s all about tone, flow and mood. It’s a masterpiece of textual understatement that I’m proud to have in my record collection… as well as on my nightstand. Simply wonderful!

Vespers is out on October 9th, 2007 on Abandoned Love records.

Nire - Girl In The Moon.mp3

Get more info at Nire’s official website!
Order your very own copy of Vespers from Abandoned Love!