Pinback

Crow’s newest collaboration, called Pinback, reaches yet another creative peak with the help of a new collaborator. Armistead Burwell Smith IV comes to the duo with an impressive pedigree of his own, having worked with bass-driven experimental rock group Three Mile Pilot. Both Smith and Crow play a variety of instruments and contribute vocals making this a synthesis of two solo artists. Smith’s angular and aching melodies weave themselves into Crow’s pop perfection to create astonishing moments of heart felt beauty. The low-scale production values of the recording allow the songs to capture a soul churning purity and sweetness unencumbered by any lush orchestrations which can easily be imagined. Though this pairing might seem unlikely, it’s Crow’s and Smith’s mutual desire for melodic adventure that makes this match much more than the sum of its parts.