Hometown: Dearborn, MI
Formed: 1993

Members:
Carl Hultgren -guitar, keyboards
Windy Webber -bass, vocals

Bands in the family :
Fuxa

Given my previous encounters with Windy & Carl, this disc is a pleasant surprise. In concert a year ago they played fluffy but unsatisfying confections that reminded me of cotton candy, but the album's name promises something different; in the ocean the deeper you go the heavier things get, and on this outing the duo eschew sweetness for a moodier vibe. They sustain and elaborate an aquatic theme over the course of seven tracks and seventy minutes of glittering, slow motion sound. Webber offers a couple understated vocals turns; the menacing melody and swirling echo of "Undercurrent" is a virtual tribute to their labelmates (and occasional touring partners) Labradford, and "The Silent Ocean" successfully converts fragility into charm. But the duo are strongest when they concentrate on expansive, layered instrumentals. The best of these is the title track, which layers looped keyboards and guitar feedback into a nineteen minute long evocation of oceanic eternity.