Horde of Two – “Guitar & Bass Actions” – [Smarten Up! Records]

Indeed. This is some awesome guitar and bass “action” from Vancouver, B.C. duo Horde of Two. On their new, debut (2009) album, bassist Wendy Atkinson (performing on electric, double and acoustic bass) and Mecca Normal guitar player David Lester construct beautiful instrumental pieces covering a range of moods. Much of the release was composed while viewing a video of a murder scene in the Alfred Hitchcock film Blackmail. There’s also a live track (“the Knife”) that features an electric guitar played with a knife (you definitely hear the tension). “Stockholm” is a gorgeous, uplifting piece and “Conversation in a Berlin Train Station” introduces piano (along with double bass) and has an otherworldly, nostalgic quality with the twinkling keys.

Programming Note: Tracks 5 and 6 track (“Blackmail” and “The Knife”)