SKYGREEN LEOPARDS /// ONE THOUSAND BIRD CEREMONY /// SOFT ABUSE ///

Existing between the leaf-rustling sound collages of Greg Davis and the more structured wildlife hymns of the Animal Collective, the Skygreen Leopards are an otherworldly delight. One Thousand Bird Ceremony is the third album from Donovan Quinn and Glenn Donaldson, the latter a founder of the Jewelled Antler collective in San Francisco. Besides taking their name from Kenneth Patchen's writings, the group also shares with the beat author an affinity with all things bird-related. Song titles like "Morning of Gulls," "One Thousand Birds," and a generous use of sampled chirping sounds make this clear enough, but the communal feel of the band and the song's inherent grace and lightness are what truly give the album flight. For some reason, the band bears an uncanny resemblance to the hopelessly obscure '70s folk duo, Heron, who recorded all of their music outdoors. Although many Jewelled Antler projects are indeed recorded outdoors using the sights and sounds of nature as inspiration, this project is far more structured than one might expect, given the ambient nature (no pun intended) of Donaldson's countless other projects. In fact, songs like "The Heron" (!) are downright poppy, in their own, drifting way. The Skygreen Leopards could be one album away from greatness.

Mark Griffey