Hammock is Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson. The duo debuted Hammock in early 2005 with the acclaimed album Kenotic, which introduced audiences to their densely textured aesthetic and shimmering guitar-driven compositions. Although occasionally laced with haunting vocals, a majority of Hammock's music is ambient instrumental -- their sound is “sleepier” than the often-brash crescendos of their post-rocker cousins, drawing from the ethereal minimalism of Stars of the Lid and reminiscent of 80's Brian Eno and Nick McCabe of the band The Verve.
Although hailed as a classic in the Shoegaze genre, Kenotic revealed a band that were inspired by, and fluent in, many different musical styles, from Electronic, Ambient, Minimalist to Post-rock. Hammock's unique amalgam of these sounds carried over to their next release, the July 2005 EP Stranded Under Endless Sky, which was followed eight months later by the heavily conceptual longform ambient album The Sleepover Series, Vol. 1. November 2006 saw the release of Raising Your Voice…Trying to Stop an Echo, an album frequently hailed for its canny fusion of melodic accessibility and intrepid experimentalism.
In Fall 2007, Hammock was invited by Jonsi Birgisson (Sigur Ros) and Alex Somers (Parachutes) to perform at the overseas debut of their art collaboration, Riceboy Sleeps. This created confluence of firsts for all four artists, as it was to be Hammock's first-ever live show. Byrd and Thompson wrote new music especially for the occasion, and these songs would ultimately become Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow, a "studio performance" album of the music they performed at the Riceboy Sleeps premiere. Birgisson and Somers as Riceboy Sleeps created the artwork for the album.
Chasing After Shadows…Living with the Ghosts followed in May 2010. Darker and more massive sonically than Hammock's previous releases, the album features the duo's first usage of a horn section, string quartet, and live percussion. The album was mixed by Tim Powles of The Church, and David Altobelli's influential video for “Breathturn” was released in late March 2010. On December 14, the duo released the EP Longest Year, a beat-less and wordless "mini-album" whose moniker referenced the band's difficult 2010 (which included the near-destruction of Byrd's home by a 100-year flood in Nashville).
Although hailed as a classic in the Shoegaze genre, Kenotic revealed a band that were inspired by, and fluent in, many different musical styles, from Electronic, Ambient, Minimalist to Post-rock. Hammock's unique amalgam of these sounds carried over to their next release, the July 2005 EP Stranded Under Endless Sky, which was followed eight months later by the heavily conceptual longform ambient album The Sleepover Series, Vol. 1. November 2006 saw the release of Raising Your Voice…Trying to Stop an Echo, an album frequently hailed for its canny fusion of melodic accessibility and intrepid experimentalism.
In Fall 2007, Hammock was invited by Jonsi Birgisson (Sigur Ros) and Alex Somers (Parachutes) to perform at the overseas debut of their art collaboration, Riceboy Sleeps. This created confluence of firsts for all four artists, as it was to be Hammock's first-ever live show. Byrd and Thompson wrote new music especially for the occasion, and these songs would ultimately become Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow, a "studio performance" album of the music they performed at the Riceboy Sleeps premiere. Birgisson and Somers as Riceboy Sleeps created the artwork for the album.
Chasing After Shadows…Living with the Ghosts followed in May 2010. Darker and more massive sonically than Hammock's previous releases, the album features the duo's first usage of a horn section, string quartet, and live percussion. The album was mixed by Tim Powles of The Church, and David Altobelli's influential video for “Breathturn” was released in late March 2010. On December 14, the duo released the EP Longest Year, a beat-less and wordless "mini-album" whose moniker referenced the band's difficult 2010 (which included the near-destruction of Byrd's home by a 100-year flood in Nashville).
