The Natural Playmate is, so far, the only album by the Toronto duo Nightjars (Jason Benoit on 5-string banjo and Eric Chenaux [now based in Paris] on electric guitar). The album is the final release on Chenaux's Rat-Drifting record label, and unless some small shop in Toronto has any copies in stock, the only way to obtain a copy is by contacting him directly.
I mentioned the album before in the "Now Playing" thread, shortly after I received it. In the nine months I've owned it, it's become a dear favorite.
Comprised of fourteen tracks, only two of which pass the five-minute mark, the collection has a way with weird, wandering melodies and surprising textural explorations. It is not often a bright, upbeat album, but it is not sad or moody, either. Perhaps playfully wistful is an apt description.
For anyone who's interested, here's the album: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B67XL ... k1mTHR3UnM
Down in the spoiler, I've posted the tracklist and the front and rear covers. Yes, the one that looks like the back is actually the front. That was part of Rat-Drifting's aesthetic.
- Spoiler: show
