David Grubbs Arborvitae (with David Grubbs) HÃƒÂ¤pna
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[HÃƒÂ¤pna; 2003]  Rating: 2.5/5 2.5 / 5 (0)    Some of my
favorite musical moments happen when artists eschew conventions
of melody and rhythm in favor for more daring explorations. It
becomes a sort of ascetic attempt to circumvent the norm, a
denial of rock's formal qualities for something bigger and
arguably better. This asceticism allows the artist to have no
particular goal (such as trying to create an emotional response
from the listener using a major or minor chord) yet still retain
a sense of direction. On Arborvitae, the eclectic Loren Connors
and ex-Gastr Del Sol's David Grubbs float aimlessly between
post-rock and that intangible asceticism. And, unfortunately,
it's a bit on the boring side. Using the familiar sounds of
guitar and piano, Connors and Grubbs play 34 minutes of music
that starts off beautiful, switches to relaxing, and
unfortunately turns mediocre. Although I'm a fan of