Paul Duncan is the ghost in his own songs. His low, wounded voice barely registers the swells and fades of the music or the unsettled worry of his lyrics, simply drifting away as his songs veer off in unexpected directions. Like Will Oldham, he undersings to remarkable effect, yet never sounds detached or uncommitted. Instead he simply mingles with the instruments, often allowing the music to eclipse his own performance. That in itself is no mean feat: Duncan's previous albums, 2003's To an Ambient Hollywood and 2005's Be Careful What You Call Home, were subdued and quiet to the point of being minimalist. However, the austere surface could barely conceal the painstakingly textured blend of organic elements (acoustic guitars, reticent rhythm section) with synthetic (spacey squiggles, canned beats), creating a space where Duncan's voice was merely one sound among many.
With Above the Trees, his third album, Duncan at last features more prominently in the production, seemingly overtaking his accompaniment or at least drawing even with it. Again, this is no meager accomplishment, as the album sounds louder and fuller, boasting a full-band sound and a collaborative dynamic, as if Duncan and his backing musicians worked the songs out on stages across America, fine-tuning each verse and crescendo in front of responsive audiences. Strings mimic his vocal line on opener "Red Eagle", subtly reinforcing the chorus melody and focusing the spotlight directly on the guy whose name is on the album cover. "The Fire" and "The Lake Pt. 2" lope along at a deceptively gentle midtempo, while "High in the Morning" and "Country Witch" achieve an electric country-rock momentum similar to Magnolia Electric Co. Only "Parasail" falls flat: the rhythmically churning guitars sound brutish and obvious in this context, although perhaps the song translates better live.
Duncan doesn't jettison all of the loops and beats of Be Careful, but submerges them in the mix, where they can compliment, rather than compete with his band [who are credited with playing computer, modular synth, (d)rumble, shirts, and piano innards]. The approach creates a sense of depth in the production and a parallax relationship between the instruments, as if their roles and relationships are constantly changing. As Above the Trees progresses, Duncan and his band indulge these spacier elements, occasionally to the detriment of the song (as on the noisy ending of "Parasail") but mostly to the benefit of the album's tone. As always, atmosphere remains crucial, but the difference is that the guitars, horns, strings, drums, and especially Ken Champion's otherworldly pedal steel create the nighttime ambience rather than CGI. In doing so, they not only push Duncan to the forefront, but tether him to the earth.
