The Sonora Pine

A great deal of guitar angularity is to be expected from any project involving former members of Rodan, but the Sonora Pine shoots straight past this — the angularity is certainly delivered upon, but the band’s connections to Rachels show themselves as well, in the form of lighter, string-augmented, and more orchestrated segments that offset the band’s rock side perfectly. The Sonora Pine alternates between these two sides on a track-by-track basis, and the results are occasionally close to exquisite. – Nitsuh Abebe