jeromeh
If you enjoyed Bundy K Brown's extensive remixes from the late 90s (for Sea and Cake, Aerial M, Calexico, Yo La Tengo, etc.), this is very much in the same ballpark and therefore essential listening.
Favorite track: Weightless.
Otis Nugatory
A summation and superceding of all previous Pullman music. Early nominee for best album 2026. RIYL Directions "In Music," Curtis H's "Box of Stones" &/or early Tortoise; yes, that incredibly compelling yet complex and multilayered
Pullman is a studio-born acoustic supergroup that emerged from Chicago’s post-rock milieu in the late ’90s, uniting Ken “Bundy K.” Brown (Tortoise/Directions in Music), Curtis Harvey (Rex), Chris Brokaw (Come), and Doug McCombs (Tortoise/Eleventh Dream Day); drummer Tim Barnes later joined, solidifying the group’s core lineup. They debuted on Thrill Jockey with Turnstyles & Junkpiles (1998), a hushed, live-to-2-track collection of interwoven guitars that critics likened to John Fahey, Leo Kottke, and Gastr del Sol. Their follow-up, Viewfinder (2001), expanded the palette with percussion, subtle electric textures, and multi-track layering, while maintaining Pullman’s rustic, cinematic restraint. Across both albums, the band became a touchstone for acoustic, song-adjacent instrumental music: folk in spirit, post-rock in method, and timeless in tone.
Two decades later, Pullman return with III, an album forged in friendship and resilience. In 2021, Barnes went public with his diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s at age 54. Even as his condition progressed, he and Brown began working almost daily, often remotely, with a wide circle of collaborators from Barnes’s musical past. What began as a single contribution for a compilation gradually blossomed into a full Pullman record, completed between 2021 and 2023. Edited and mixed by Brown, with early input from Barnes, III carries forward the group’s signature intimacy and space while embodying the spirit of community that has always defined their work. Both a continuation of Pullman’s singular aesthetic and a testament to the sustaining power of music, III drifts with the quiet weight of memory, persistence, and grace.
credits
released January 9, 2026
Tim Barnes
Chris Brokaw
Ken Brown
Curtis Harvey
Douglas McCombs
Recorded across the United States 2016-2023
Coordinated, assembled, and mixed by Ken Brown
Photography by Tim Barnes
Mastered by Heba Kadry, NYC
Thank You. And thanks especially to all those who made this album possible.
Pullman is an acoustic quintet featuring Doug McCombs (Tortoise, Eleventh Dream Day, Brokeback), Bundy K. Brown (Tortoise,
Directions In Music), Chris Brokaw (Come, Codeine), Curtis Harvey (Rex), and Tim Barnes (The Tower Recordings). Dave Pajo (Slint, Tortoise) also plays on the debut album. They share a common desire to explore instrumental acoustic music....more
Not sure what I was expecting, but I'm certainly not disappointed. Groovy and chill, with occasional excursions into avant-noise territory. And not a singer in sight (good).
Not a listen-everyday type release, but still a solid addition to the collection. Ghuughra
steady grooves with the sax of josh johnson dancing all over it. and when he takes a break, jeff slides in with something interesting. anna is a rock keeping everything together. the drumming is just perfect. listening to this enhances my life... i work to this, i drive to this, and i play it in shared spaces. lee
After years of only have these sessions on a scratched unmixed CDr it's a sweet surprise to hear them loud and clear the way Steve and the band intended. Mount_Mourn