AMG Review of Conferring with the Moon: Pieces for Guitar

Jim Esch
All Music Guide

Will Ackerman continued weaving textures explored three-years before in Past Light, his deft guitar accompanied by side instruments such as bass, lyricon, violin, English horn, piano, cello, charongo, and zampona. The all-digital 1980s production is more heavily affected, thinner and more brittle than his early albums, yet despite the dated production, Ackerman moodily evokes a dark, quiet: dare we say 'lunar' ambience? Ackerman's guitar is content to settle into repetitive minimalist patterns, opening up a spacious canvas for the complementary instruments. Reflective and inquisitive, Conferring With the Moon has an idle, dreamy quality. The CD adds a couple of tracks that didn't make it on to the original vinyl release.