Spectreview: Abby Gundersen – Sleep Comes Then I Wake

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Since she was a teenager writing music with her brother, Abby Gundersen’s held deep ties with the Seattle underground folk scene. Since then, the violinist has written parts for countless projects, and she’s come into her own as a purveyor of gorgeous cinematic music. Her newest album, Sleep Comes Then I Wake, is right in that vein. It’s a neoclassical album that blooms at its leisure, ebbing and flowing like gentle ocean waves. Gundersen’s string performances, as expected, are ever-present in these songs, whether it’s the undercurrent of cello in “Sinking Upwards” or the harmonizing violins in the climactic “White Flowers.” But the focus is less on the actual performances and more on using those tools to paint, creating a series of waking dreamscapes that simultaneously soothes and exhilarates. It’s overwhelmingly more a work of pure beauty than of depth, but it’s also restrained enough to keep from overwhelming the senses. Like a guided mediation, Sleep Comes Then I Wake brings the listener into a place and then releases gracefully, providing a break from reality that comes at a perfect time.

Recommended pre-sleep.