George & Caplin

The last album from experimental duo George & Caplin, the self-released Electronic Eulogy (From Morse Code Infinity), was a powerful and tempo-changing burst of introspective energy that strategically employed minimalist vocals for ambience. Although equally sparse, the hushed, monotone vocals that appear on a handful of tracks on Things Past — the group’s fourth effort, and the first with Portland’s Beta-lactam Ring Records — detract from the otherwise textured instrumentals. Minor grievances aside, George & Caplin have not forgotten how to find a balance between organic and non-organic sounds. Pulsing synth lines, pop-and-hiss percussion and creepy Cold War computer loops do a delicate jig with acoustic guitar plucks and the ebb and flow of grinding cello to create the melancholy and disenchantment of a modern-day film noir soundtrack. Though it would have been better off as a strictly instrumental album, Things Past (whose release will be celebrated at the hi-dive) is a healthy marriage of digital and analog sounds that won’t soon become another nasty divorce statistic.