Ensemble Economique

“Melt Into Nothing” is Ensemble Economique’s most lucid seance to date. The prolific Humboldt County musician has stripped layers off of his trademark haze but retained the beautiful desolation that’s earned him a rabid fanbase. The solo project of former Starving Weirdos member Brian Pyle, Ensemble Economique has crossed a land bridge from apocryphal world music and dusty soundtracks to gauzy 4AD-style atmospherics. Trellises of guitar embolden Pyle’s whispered, threadbare lyrics. On “Hey Baby”, the itinerant tone feels like an update on Neil Young’s stark and beautiful soundtrack for Jarmusch’s “Dead Man”. “Melt Into Nothing”, like that beautiful film music, evokes the great American expanse. Field recordings slip in and out of the mix. On “Fade for Miles”, Pyle’s adroit effects and backwards tape manipulation make the long trail on his vocals fade into waves on a rocky beach.