Raising your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo (CD)

Released November 2006: CD format, 75 minutes. Hammock’s sophomore release. Raising Your Voice…Trying to Stop an Echo is characterized by the duo’s hallmark: thick curtains of cascading electric guitars that merge into pure expressions of hope, stillness, joy and loss. Accompanied by strings, piano, ethereal vocals and an occasional undercurrent of percussion, these beautiful, layered guitar washes range from whisper-soft minimalism to moments of driving, slow-burn intensity. Simply put, Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson make music that is filled with human passion and emotion.

Reviews:

"You know the secret: good soundscapes and good melodies...your albums are wonderful." --Jonsi Birgisson, lead singer/guitarist, Sigur Ros

"Been listening to your record non-stop. It makes me want to put individual tracks on CDs to send out to cute girls. Now I just need to find the cute girls." --Brian McBride, Stars of the Lid and solo artist

7.6 rating "...a contrail in a solid blue sky, a smear of sound that goes oddly well with any number of emotional states...an unassuming record that speaks to all those things in our lives that aren't tangible, yet feel nearly within our grasp..." --Pitchfork

"Hammock continue to amaze...Many of the newer shoegazers take their music only so far, releasing entire albums of amps buzzing, but Hammock take a different approach by tapping into their melodic sensibilities, and thereby perform on a higher level than many of their contemporaries...Hammock are at the top of their game, and musing on the question of where they can take their music from here is very exciting." --All Music Guide

Seen multiple weeks in College Music Journal Top 200 Chart and heard on NPR's Hearts of Space. Chosen by Echoes listeners as a Top 25 release of 2006, named by Echoes as Top 25 Essential CD of 2006, and Echoes CD of the Month for January, 2007

"Raising Your Voice... Trying to Stop an Echo" is a massive artistic statement. A Gravity’s Rainbow of ambient chamber rock, it defies the iTunization of the world. You want to hear the whole thing, slipping it on, cranking up the volume and riding it into an infinite sunset. A dream guitar masterpiece" --John Diliberto, Host, Echoes

“Pick of the week” for Filter Magazine and cited as a Top 10 release for 2006

"9/10"...this longing, melodic, melancholic, and thoughtful texture that seems to tug at one's heartstrings from start to finish...It's the type of music that hits you in the gut immediately...Nothing about this album is less than Grade A+ material...It's an album that forces one to reflect on both the highs and lows of one's life." --Pop Matters

“…a stellar effort that has crossover appeal to alternative and old-school art rock fans alike…Hammock’s forte lies in their uncanny ability to couch minimalist, memorable motifs awash in space-age textures with an orchestral bent. Dreamy, drowsy, and druggy, the mostly instrumental tracks which comprise the duo’s sophomore effort seamlessly meld into one another. Forget downloading a cut or two, this record needs to be heard start to finish …Turn on your mind, relax, and float downstream.” –Tom Semioli, Amplifier Magazine

"The duo's second LP finds them comfortable within the borderless ethereal spaces of their blissful, droning shoegazer pop...Fans of Sigur Ros, less bombastic Spiritualized, and Lassie Foundation will settle nicely into these heavenly spaces." --The Big Takeover

"Hammock's breathy, icy-clear vocals (including those of guest singer Christine Glass Byrd) float perfectly over the effected guitars in a way that would make any fan of the 4AD catalog put down their Cocteau Twins box set for a second...shoegazer fans will, and should, swoon." --The Nashville Scene

"One of the most romantic bands on the planet..." --Losing Today Magazine

“Throughout the eighteen tracks there is a glorious stillness to be found, even when the drums turn the album into a shoegazing masterpiece, the guitars throwing lazy shapes (and the occasional shadow) across the tunes…Opening track “I Can Almost See You” is as beautiful as anything you have heard this year…an album that is best appreciated when heard in its entirety, although it can be neatly summarised by listening to “Floating Away In Every Direction”, the title speaks volumes and the music perfectly matches the sentiments, but don’t take my word for it, go and get your own copy and be transported.” –Simon Lewis, Terrascope

"Hammock is ace at this skyline-blotting instrumental music...a deep soak for the synapses." --Grooves Magazine

"5/5" --Jive Magazine

"13/16. Chill-out to be sure, but not without plenty for the mind to play with in a soothing, lilting fashion while the body downshifts to follow suit...[Byrd and Thompson] conjure tracks that are deeply resonant in a supportive/uplifting manner (never dark or dissonant). Echo-y, guitar lines rise and fall against a shifting background tapestry of string/piano/synth hues, while ethereal female vocals join the mix sparingly to help spirit you away...this music is much more “active” than what one first might imagine." --John Collinge, Progression Magazine

“Heavenly landscapes slowly pass by in a suspended sense of time that feels weightlessly infinite and painless. Elevated states of grace unfold at a glacial pace. A masterful refinement of the shoegazing form; getting highly orchestral and grand along the way.” –Dream Magazine

Named #2 in Silent Ballet's Top 50 Instrumental Releases of 2006. "Hammock follows up its debut album with another collection of utterly indescribable and magnificent songs...This is music that seeps deeply into the pores and goes straight for the heart...Brilliant only begins to scratch the surface..." --The Silent Ballet

The latest album by Hammock, Raising a Voice…Trying to Stop an Echo, is a beautiful compilation of piano and electric guitar that stretches across genres showing mass appeal to many different audiences. All new eighteen tracks on this album enrich you with a cascade of sound that is perfectly harmonious. The songs flow seamlessly from track to track making it seem more like an orchestrated concert just for you as opposed to just another album...This album is ideal for relaxing after a long day of work, guided meditation or to add a little enchantment into the everyday. Many times when listening to albums of this genre a rock n' roll die hard such as me has a tendency to cringe. However, this is one album I will definitely keep in my collection for years to come. I look forward to future albums by Hammock. --Diana Tierney, Feminist Review

"4/4 stars. This entrancing set of mostly-instrumental dream-pop/shoegaze combines the tidal majesty of Sigur Rós with the diaphanous dreaminess of Victorialand-era Cocteau Twins..." Copacetic Zine

This little gem is all silvery somnolence with sheets of guitars soft as warm tears on a fresh white cloth. Rising high above other recent shoegaze revivalists, Hammock has both the tunefulness and the sincerity to sweep you up and keep you totally interested. --IXMAE

“Waves of glimmering Cocteau Twins-like guitar traverse over barren landscapes, twinkling like nearby constellations. It is at once distant and extremely joyous, a life affirming, yet somehow Zen-like expression of mood and of depth…It's a lot to take in, and each minute is profoundly emotive and heartbreaking. Hammock may require patience, but those who possess it will be rewarded in spades.” –Jeff Terich, Treble Magazine

“Hammock's brand of musical expression is honest, patient, meticulous and acknowledging of the warm-blooded nature of its listeners. It stirs the soul like little other music that's out there in this day in age.” –Luke Daniel Rush, Sound the Sirens

“5/6. Eighteen sparkling gems here...quite soothing, hypnotic, and calming.” –Baby Sue

"8/10". --Ten Magazine

"Raising Your Voice… Trying To Stop An Echo is another magnificent acomplishment on the part of Hammock. Like Kenotic, it works just as well as a backdrop to retire to at the end of the day or as a motivating force to get you through life’s harder moments." --Relative Theory Records

"6/6 Rating. Hammock continue to grow..." --Evil Sponge

"The Hammock sound is unique; harsh yet beautiful, and curiously satisfying while still leaving one wanting more. Raising Your Voice is a work of genius by a duo who are pathfinders in guitar based drone ambience. It's essential listening for anyone interested in ambient music." --Dene Bebbington, Melliflua

"Hammock's sad, epic music bathes the listener in multi-tracked electric guitars swimming in a sea of reverb and gentle distortion, sometimes alone, sometimes with piano, cello and/or a steady rock backbeat. It's a somber, fuzzy sound but crucially a melodic one too, with an appeal to both electronic ambient and indie rock listeners." --Ambient Music Guide

“8.2/10. This record feels beautiful from start to finish, crafted with care. I have found my first post rock fix for the new year…A wonderful soundtrack to the icicles that are slowly growing longer around my door during these cold days of winter.” –Luna Park 6

"...[the] album's gentle and, at times, cautious nature demands intimacy, imploring a listener to approach its sonic fibers as a grand tapestry to be adorned in solitude. Once observed in seclusion, you begin to pick up on the subtle movement that occurs over the course of the pieces, flowing competently and effortlessly into one another while creating an immersive and dream-like experience. --Delusions of Adequacy

“If ever there was a release that can hold its own on a late-night NPR program and a day-time college rock station at the same time, this is it…repeated listens will reveal it's incredibly complex and layered to perfection…has the power to invade the soul and sweep up at least this listener into a reflective and awe-inspired daze.” –Tangzine

“ 4/5 rating. Aaahhhh, relief. That's what this album does to the listener. It's the soundtrack to a breezy summer day with puffy yet translucent clouds in the sky, or slowly fading into sleep on an extremely comfortable night near a calm ocean; all things airy and ethereal. Instruments blend together rather than stick out individually and the band creates movements that blur the line between ambient and instrumental music…This is relaxing music of the highest level.” –Silent Uproar

"Just when you thought this amazing band could not attain the splendid heights of their previous efforts, they go ahead and release a jaw dropping disc of pure sonic BLISS at the end of 2006! Not since the golden days of Brian Eno has an artist created devastatingly beautiful atmospheres that transport you in a dreamlike state beyond the stars..." --Dark Symphonies

“These 18 songs feel open-ended, but also carefully structured. They contain visceral textures and melodies, not just a general mood. Raising Your Voice is a cloud of air, but one that leaves a distinct, physical impression.” –Erasing Clouds

“8/10. Hammock is confident of their dreams and in their ability to say much with little. They deserve the hype that has come to them, and will come to them with this second release.” –Mike Wood, Foxy Digitalis

"6.9/10. Never has there been a band so appropiately named as Hammock, well, except for Slayer, which is probably the perfect antithesis to Hammock...The album is cool and it is dark with an expression of hope. It is mood music and it is beautiful like a picture of a wind swept snowy landscape...this is bliss." --Dave Van Zandt

"5/5. Gorgeous. Stunning. Sublime! Deserves no distractions or interuptions from barking dogs, people talking and general noise pollution. A candidate for best ethereal rock record of the year." --Kenyon Hopkin, Advance Copy