Texas Platters

Beaver Nelson

Beaver Nelson tries the multimedia approach and succeeds wildly. Macro/Micro is available both as a CD and DVD, and as such can be one long suite of songs or a nearly hour-long music video. Either way, it's Nelson's most daring work, retaining his trademark roots jangle, but also gathering moments of psychedelic intensity and chilling isolation. Visually, the DVD is a mishmash of images, sometimes related to song lyrics, other times altered to curious effect. While both "... Your Impending Doom" (a car ride up what appears to be MoPac) and the oddly celebratory "Funerals" boast inventive images, filmmaker Stephen Henderson captures Nelson's wiry essence, ranging from simple and childlike to mysterious, electrified, and twitchy. Rambunctious "Your Subconscious Does the Dirty Work" and haunting "I Wish That I Was Missing You Again" stand among Nelson's best songs. Kudos for both bravery and delivery.