Birdtree
Orchards and Caravans

Much like his more droning work with Loren Chasse as The Blithe Sons, Orchards & Caravans takes flight around delicate guitar melodies and pensive vocalizations, incorporating bowed oud, bells, toy accordion, Wurlitzer, harmonium, bouzouki, banjo, keyboards, and occasional drumming. Packaged in a highly saturated collage of birds and butterflies, a gaping Venus flytrap, distant trees, prehistoric flora, and the half-human birds found often in Egyptian mythology, the album combines experimental instrumentals, magisterial folk, and lengthy drones.

Evoking the delicate dance of pine needles when they catch a breeze and disappear over a horizon line, "White Sundials Faced the Sun" is a segment of subdued Loren Mazzacane-esque guitar noodle: Maintaining a slow-drip tempo, the carefully spaced guitar strums are held together with fragile vocal sighs. Assuming the properties of its title, "Pillar of Clouds" is a shimmering Middle-Eastern drone punctured with bells and the plucks and strums of various stringed instruments. The darkest excursion on the record, "The Marsh" mucks Goosewind-styled noise with scuttling contusions that build to a distant drone; overlaid with birds, wind and hisses, the manmade sounds ultimately consume the silvan calls of its backdrop.

Surprisingly poppy at times, Donaldson goes beyond these incidental bits, managing also to pen some solid folk hooks. In his hands (and without Bob Dylan's backup singers), the traditional "Mary Ann" emerges wrapped in hoarfrost, a stark ballad whittled to the high-gloss atmospherics of Galaxie 500. Hopelessly catchy, and perhaps Donaldson's most straightforwardly appealing song to date, "Everyone of Us a New Leaf" features rattling drums by Steven R. Smith, a minimal organ line, talk of ghosts, and a distant vocal intonation most reminiscent of Black Heart Procession.

Like Ben Chasny during his most patient work as Six Organs of Admittance, Donaldson is also adept at incorporating loose structures that allow for the creation of songs within songs and asymmetrical pieces that sprout into unexpected directions. Unlike its dreary name, "Black Rainbows, Part 1 & 2" is the acid folk cousin of The Temptations' "My Girl"; halfway through, the sweetness uncoils into a fractured organ rumble, a distant thunder or grayscale prism. Moving in an opposite direction, "The Lost Sun" emerges amid a noisy flight pattern but gives way to poignant strains of melodic guitar, half-shaken jingle bells, a lost war, and a lost sun. Here, the jangling instrumentation contrasts with the track's ingrained melancholy.

I've looked for holes in the armor but Donaldson's too fastidious. Prior to this, he came closest to reaching these heights on The Blithe Sons' We Walk the Young Earth. Here, though, he manages to top that effort, distilling the best attributes of his naturalist psych and patiently building a fully realized dreaming hill, something that fellow Terrastock travelers, in even their most transcendent work, have only been able to hint at.

-Brandon Stosuy, October 21st, 2003 (Pitchfork)

BIRDTREE, THE "Orchards and Caravans" (Last Visible Dog) cd 11.98 The Birdtree is multi-instrumentalist Glenn Donaldson, whom you may know as one of the driving forces of Thuja/Blithe Sons/Franciscan Hobbies/Skygreen Leopards/The Knit Separates and myriad other manifestions of the magical, mystical Jewelled Antler "collective", those psychedelic/folk/drone/experimental/improvised San Franciscian sound lovers who keep bringing us cd-rs and sometimes real cds of their wondrous musical projects. This cd in fact was once a cd-r on the Jewelled Antler label (reviewed back on list #135), but at last now it's a *real* cd courtesy of the Last Visible Dog imprint, adorned with even more of the same stunning collage artwork as before. We sold a bunch of the original limited version, and hope to do as well with this, since many folks didn't get copies the first time around, and as we said then, this stuff is so good it needs to be heard! Donaldson's Birdtree features his expressive guitar melodies in pursuit of a pensive and melancholic atmosphere. Occasionally accompanied by fellow Mirza / Thuja member Steven R. Smith, Donaldson has created a mysterious, semi-improvised set of songs incorporating field recordings, indeterminant drones, majestic pastoral psychedelia with repetitive organ lines, bowed oud, bells, harmonium, spectral guitar riffs, and, crucially, Donaldson's distant, wistful vocals. The Birdtree is simply a gorgeous, haunting record, similar in ways to Village of Savoonga, Graeme Jefferies, Greg Weeks, and even some of the Harvester / Parson Sound recordings. And Richard Youngs, especially Richard Youngs in his folky, finger-picking, extended vocal bliss mode. It's really beautiful. While there was something nice and personal about the handmade aspect of the original cd-r, we're really glad it's back in print as a proper cd. One of our favorites from the Jewelled Antler stable, and that's saying a lot! Recommended!
--Aquarius Records

"Consider taking a vacation. Consider the tropics, or maybe even Africa; there's a place for everyone, and everyone has their place. The point is, you need to get out of town and you need a break from your cluttered life. Simplicity is key. But look, you need to relax and there's nothing like a lush, green jungle with pristine white sandy beaches and glistening turquoise water to get your mind off of your hectic schedule. If you want a good soundtrack for your journey, consider Jewelled Antler Collective honcho Glenn Donaldson's solo project, The Birdtree. It's as laid back as your vacation should be. But please, keep a journal while you're gone. It will help you remember these times when everything gets crazy again. Day One. Woke up early to watch the sunrise. You've never seen a real dawn until you've seen it from Indonesia. Took your advice and brought along "Orchards & Caravans." I'm loving it. The sunrise was gorgeous. I played "Pillar of Clouds" and a huge white crane flew overhead. Reverbed guitars on the song really created a nice atmosphere for breakfast. I thoroughly enjoyed the Indian accents on the song; made me want curry. Anyway, it was a perfect morning full of juicy mangoes and crisp rays of sun. I have a massage in an hour so I'll end this for today. Day Two. Decided to stay in most of the day. I'm feeling lonely today and wish I had a wife or girlfriend I could have brought with me. It's okay, though, since I had time to think about things. It was cathartic in a very subtle, quiet way. "Black Rainbows, Parts 1 & 2" helped ease any fears I had. It was amazing. The quiet vocals on the track seemed almost subliminal; I honestly thought he was reading my thoughts. Nice job on the feedback, too. That helped clear my head enough to purge some demons. Since I am on vacation, I did opt for a stroll through this wonderful little path they have through a small section of jungle near the resort. "Scorpions & Lions" is a good summation. It was pleasant and simple; I walked leisurely and remembered to stop and smell the wet leaves. There was no fear or anything, even though I know there were some deadly animals close by. Maybe I should move here. Day Three. I woke up late and missed a yoga class I had scheduled. D'oh! Oh well, I needed the sleep. I was having this really surreal dream last night that kept me up for at least two hours. I think it was prompted by listening to "The Bluish Vapor of Tall Eucalyptus Trees" right before I fell asleep. That track is haunting! It kept invoking all these images of ghosts and spirits. Though they weren't necessarily bad ones, it still freaked me out. I took a long bath this morning while listening to "White Sundials Faced the Sun" and tried to relax. It worked. Donaldson's voice on that song has a therapeutic quality to it. It was actually a bit New-Age-y, but not in a hokey, Yanni-type way. I really love how he uses ambient sounds and feedback to give his songs an organic feel to them. I hear a gong-like sound that gives it a ritualistic undertone as well. It's really brilliant. I'm listening to "Sleep Under a Tree" right now and it's making me want to do just that. Laying in piles of wet leaves with the smell of fresh cut bananas permeating the air. Delightful! Day Four. After today, it's back home to Chicago. This has been an excellent experience. I went to this small gathering last night of poets and intellectuals. We discussed the merits of postmodern theories of culture, and I shared my discovery of this album with a beat poet from Greenwich Village. (I thought the beret thing was over. I guess not.) Anyway, we played "Red Midnight Raven" to the crowd and it stopped many conversations. People really dug the jangly percussion and said it was reminiscent of Nick Drake. After I got home, I laid in bed and thumbed through some material I was given while listening to the keyboard-laden "Everyone Of Us a New Leaf." The song is a good one for thinking about things that have recently happened. Its title implies its sound; it's very hopeful. Day Five. On my way to the airport, I've got "Mary Ann" on repeat on headphones. I can't quite make out the words on this dreamy song, but I hear him saying "10,000 miles away from Mary Ann..." more than once. This song just makes me feel so far from home and away from everyone and everything I know. It's sad but comforting at the same time. It's a good song to bring my senses down from the heightened state they've been in this week. It's beautiful and familiar; I am ready to go home. It's hard to believe this is the same Glenn Donaldson from Thuja and Mirza. I would have never thought he could write such beautiful pop songs. Thankfully, they're tinged with his sense of ambience and the organic sounds which make his other projects so appealing. I feel like I'm getting a real glimpse of what he's capable of on this record, and would recommend it to anyone who needs some time away from their personal chaos. Take a trip; get away; let go: that's the important part, but don't ever forget to take along a soundtrack. It will make the experience much more enjoyable."
--Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis

San Francisco musician Glenn Donaldson has already demonstrated his musicial abilities in acclaimed outfits such as Mirza, Knit Seperates and more recently the incredibly dark improv unit Thuja. This CD-R [to be released on CD by LVD], under the Birdtree moniker, is the first release I've heard from him where previous discreet nods toward something more folky become clearly visible, although under a distant blanket of intoxicating sounds and subdued collages. These 14 songs crawl along a desolate path surrounded by plunky guitars, bouzouki, banjo, harmonium, bells, keyboards and plenty of other instruments. One thing that makes this collection so special is the great sense of spaciousness that characterizes it all despite the rather murky production. It's soundtrack to sleepwalking, and the accompanying dream isn't exactly the happiest one you've ever had. Rather what this dream provides is access to a gigantic hole where melancholia, otherworldly folk structures and submerged soundscapes come to meet. The wonderous avant-folk feel of "Red Midnight Raven" recalls PG Six while the overall emotive effect more recalls fellow Tower Recordings member Matt Valentine's most structured solo work. Donaldson seems to be part of a San Franciscan cluster of musicians, where Steven R. Smith very well might be the most famous one, who somehow manage to express the inexpressible. Orchards and Caravans is a dark, rewarding and surprisingly structured listen.

Mats Gustaffson, Broken Face #14