Rivulets - You Are My Home

Rivulets is the project of Nathan Amundson who - with help from various contributors including Bob Weston (Shellac), Chris Brokaw (Codeine) and Christian Frederickson (Rachel’s) - has crafted the beautiful new release You Are My Home. It’s a record that relates such apparent loneliness whilst conversely establishing so much contact with the listener. Earnest, simplistic, but nevertheless stirring string passages and austere piano parts coalesce with distorted guitars laden with hurt and frustration in what becomes an unguarded vent of regrette and apology. The acoustic base of each song, combined with Amundson's sincere vocal - which meets mid range between Elliot Smith and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) - is more than often enough to convey such emotion. His voice literally shivers with uncertainty in Win Or Lose, reflecting the personal context of his childhood in Alaska’s secluded chill. Put simply, this is a therapeutic record for anyone in the process of heartbreak. [Emma Smith]