Rivulets - In Our Circle (2018)

Minimalist singer/songwriter Nathan Amundson began recording as Rivulets in 1999, when his self-titled debut was issued by Chair Kickers' Union, the Duluth, Minnesota label run by the veteran slowcore outfit Low. Often driven only by voice or quiet guitar, Rivulets was frighteningly gentle, yet genuinely powerful. The brooding love songs of Mark Kozelek's Red House Painters were an apt comparison, as were the acute, windswept soundscapes of Iceland's Sigur Rós. Most often, the music suggested the isolation and odd beauty found at the center of an iced-over lake in the middle of winter. Rivulets' spare sound was also augmented at times by various musicians, including Low principals Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. Between 1999 and 2004, Rivulets issued a series of CD-EPs and contributed to numerous compilations. Two full-length albums appeared through Chair Kickers' Union, 2002's self-titled effort, and Debridement a year later. The You've Got Your Own EP arrived in 2004 with the You Are My Home album following in 2006 on Important Records. The Stray Songs 2000-2010 collection was a digital download that appeared in 2010, while 2011 saw the arrival of both the Yearlings EP (self-released) and the album We're Fucked (Important Records).

~ Johnny Loftus