The damp guitar loops and hushed ballads that New Brunswick-based songwriter Leslie Bear has been recording under the name Long Beard trail off like half-finished thoughts. She’s been issuing recordings on her Bandcamp since the beginning of 2014, these are collections of dewy droplets that threaten to atomically dissociate into their component chemicals and dissipate. Today she’s back with news of her first official full-length, Sleepwalker, and based on lead single “Porch” it seems to be more compellingly wispy work. This new track is two and a half minutes of guitar lines that intersect and overlap like delicate featherwork, and at Bear’s vocal peak the whole thing threatens to either melt and collapse or take flight.
Sleepwalker is out October 23 on Team Love Records, who also released Quarterbacks’ great LP earlier this year. Tom Christie of that band (and his solo project Fraternal Twin) contributes bass guitar to a number of tracks on this record. Listen to “Porch” here.
Long Beard tour dates:
August 7 – Manhattan, NY @ Cake Shop w/ Jess Williamson (Early Show)
