All Tiny Creatures

Harbors (Hometapes)

True to Brian Eno’s vision for ambient music, the full-length debut from Wisconsin’s All Tiny Creatures has far-reaching utility. The quartet’s prog-tronic bliss could also add new intrigue to being on hold or watching your local forecast on the Weather Channel. The playful guitar/synthesizer interplay and driving beat of “Holography” is just what the meteorologist ordered for a sunny morning. Although some tracks have vocals – including a guest turn from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on “An Iris” – their function is textural, not narrative. You don’t need to decipher the lyrics of “Glass Bubbles” to get turned on by its pulsating, hypnotic shimmer. Things get ponderous when themes aren’t fully developed, “Triangle Frog” never leaving intro mode, but all is forgiven when the dreamy guitar hum of “Plankton March” brings Harbors in for an analgesic landing. (Wed., 12mid, Skinny’s Ballroom)

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This article appears in March 18 • 2011.

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Greg Beets was born in Lubbock on the day Richard Nixon was elected president. He has covered music for the Chronicle since 1992, writing about everyone from Roky Erickson to Yanni. Beets has also written for Billboard,Uncut, Blurt, Elmore, and Pop Culture Press. Before his digestive tract cried uncle, he co-published Hey! Hey! Buffet!, an award-winning fanzine about all-you-can-eat buffets.