Shedding, the onetime solo project of Connor Bell, is a one-man affair that we last heard from on 2007’s What God Doesn’t Love, You Won’t Know EP. In the interim, Bell, a hyper-literate musician, curtailed his affinity for structural obscurity by reformatting Shedding’s lineup with Parlour frontman Tim Furnish and drummer Joey Yates (The Loved, Six White Horses), for a 7-inch release earlier this year. Bell follows groupthink with another solo expedition on Tear in the Sun. It’s a return to a more meditative state that requires you to be in it for the long haul. Droning synthesizers provide the structure for “Disconnect,” an opening statement of freedom and breaking away. “Perspective” adheres to a similar progression, and although I’m not too much of a fan of vocals falling in lockstep with chord changes, it’s clear Bell is emphasizing mood. “Idealize” diverts from chordal suspension into a genre that is a break from traditional Shedding — outright folk.
This article appears in December 8, 2010.