Bill MacKay & Ryley Walker – Spider Beetlebee (Drag City)

Beautiful album of bright and bracing guitar instrumentals from this Chicago duo collaboration.

The range of styles spanned over the course of just half an hour is a clue to the open mindedness and sense of adventure of both musicians.

Some highlights.

The pastoral proud maybe even courtly atmosphere of ‘The grand old trout’ nodding in the direction of the great Bert Jansch.

Sublime key changes and hints of French jazz in ‘Lower Chesnut’.

The uplifting addition of tabla drums on ‘I heard them singing’.

The energising bends and slides of ‘Lonesome traveler’.

There’s a real sense of the shared joy in playing about the whole piece.

A gorgeous miniature body of work and in many ways perfect music for this time of year.