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This disc is first in the aptly titled Sculpting From Drake series of tribute compilations celebrating the work of Nick Drake. The only other releases I've heard on Elsie and Jack have been from Japanese noise artist Aube (Pages From the Book) and Tabata's experimental Brainsville, so needless to say I was ill prepared for this well-rounded collection of predominantly folky tunes.

Admittedly, I'm unfamiliar with Nick Drake's work, but that didn't prevent me from thoroughly enjoying this CD (though it did take quite a few listens before I really got into it -- most of the best music seems this way). In fact, these cover versions have definitely inspired me to track down the originals... what better testament to their quality?

Archer Prewitt and Flashpapr do Drake's deeply poetic lyrics justice, armed with their acoustic guitars and a candid style that I imagine is quite faithful to the original tunes. Au Revoir Borealis' take on "Fruit Tree" is slow and subtle, with a clear beauty -- stylistically it reminds me of Portishead. Other artists take a less literal approach to the music, such as with Drekka's instrumental take on "Know," an abstract, unconventional guitar piece that comes across as quite disjointed and experimental, especially in contrast to many of the other contributions. The diverse collection of tracks that Elsie and Jack set out to assemble was definitely realized.

Sculpting From Drake ends with Ray Speedway's take on "Pink Moon," which was used to score a car commercial a while back. Simple synth progressions and a deft, liberal use of sampling (including many sounds lifted from the original song) characterize the track, melded together with a spattering of faint vocals. A strong note to cap off an even stronger disc.

52 minutes of music for (what would have been) Drake's 52nd birthday... it doesn't get much more perfect than that. Elsie and Jack is a label sworn to quality, and Sculpting from Drake exemplifies this dedication and once again converts it into sound.