Solo acoustic guitar music is a hard beast to tackle. I've heard a lot of artists I admire try their hand and fail miserably. When it goes wrong, the results are embarrassing. This is a genre that is as naked as can be and frauds are easily exposed. I am generally weary when I hear of new artists going this route and such was the case when I was first told about Harris Newman. But Newman was particularly interesting because of his Montreal background and ties to the Constellation group of musicians (he is, or perhaps was, a member of Sackville). I think of soaring ambient soundscapes and apocolyptic post rock when I hear about someone or something related to the Constellation label, so Newman's folk meanderingss caught me off guard.

This album has roots planted in country, folk, and bluegrass and Newman's grasp of these styles is evident all over "Non Sequitirs." On "The Pyramids," added drums provided by fellow Montreal musician Bruce Cawdron, move the song from a very country-ish feel into something heavier and more dense. In the early parts of the track, the drums are tight and follow the guitar closely. It's nice and clean, and the upbeat drumming reminds me of a lot of old school country music I've listened to through the years. The way the complex, fast-picked acoustic guitar plays off the simple drum beat is excellent; it creates a contrast that is not only interesting but makes you bob your head. But where it really takes off is in the second half when the drummer moves from using a closed hi-hat to keep time to a big, loud, swishing ride cymbal. While the guitar is playing basically the same thing as the first part of the song, the way the drums are played and engineered (the mix makes it sound as if they're being played in your own living room. It's brilliant) really opens the song up. It's like the first half is where they were just getting a feel for their new car, and the second half is where they loose their timidness and just floor it. The result is fantastic. I love how the drums and guitar really play off each other, and especially how its recorded in a way that gives it a live feeling. Great stuff.

Most of these tracks don't feature anything other than Newman's lone guitar. He's an extremely talented guitar player, and it's obvious he's listened to a lot of John Fahey, Leo Kottke, and Robbie Basho. Tracks like "I Fought the Lottery" and "Feral Blues" have heavy hints of blues in them. One whiff of these and you'll begin questioning that he is actually from Canada. This has more in common with the Mississippi Delta than it does the cold climates of French-Canada. Other tracks, like "Trick Question" and "Bitten," lean more towards the folk stylings of Fahey. Their approach is simple and stripped down, but their delivery is not. Only the most talented of guitarists can compose and play music like this. It's light and dense all the same time. I love it.

The 15 minute "Forest For the Trees" is another excellent interplay between Newman's guitar and Cawdron's percussive abilities. There's little in the way of outright drumming here; it's mostly etheral atmospheric noises created by bowing cymbals and other instruments. The two artists have a great understanding for what each is trying to do; they create different, but complementary, images together that give the listener the full picture. This reciprocity makes the title appropriate. Each instrument alone does not give the complete picture here. One needs to hear both, at the same time, to get the full effect. It builds in intensity throughout the middle of the piece, and finally settles into dust near the end.

Harris Newman's debut is far more interesting than anything Sackville ever put out, and one can only hope that he continues pursuing this path instead. These recordings have a lot of heart and soul in them, like this is the music Newman has always wanted to make but never had the opportunity or the guts. Based on this recording, though, it's clear that he has far more in common with labelmate Steffen Basho-Junghans than he does with the group of musicans for which his hometown is known. Keeping it simple and stripped down is the best decision he's ever made. 8/10 -- Brad Rose (25 May, 2005)