This week I was reading about the new album from New York noise rock band YHWH Nailgun, which crams ten songs into eleven minutes, while still feeling like a complete item. Folk group Milkweed’s Folklore 1979 also hits just over eleven minutes, proving that a full work can fit into less than an EP’s run time. For Australian guitarist D.C Cross’s new volume of acoustic guitar improvisations, Open Guitar (Volume Two) (self released June 10th, 2026), he goes the opposite way and documents thirteen recordings over three hours.
Over Three hours! It’s not surprising then that this is currently a download only release via Bandcamp, with Darren understandably not yet relishing the idea of funding either a seven vinyl or three CD package. The run time of this album may sound daunting, but Darren is an experienced musician and he has approached this project as something of a meditation on guitar improvisations, primarily in DADGAD, using various locations across Australia and their sonic environments as key factors in the mood of the music.
These natural additions to the songs are subtle, but when they pop, it really adds to the music. Take the constant sound of running water on Rainforest Maleny and the occasional whoop of a tropical bird; both details allow Darren to ease up on his playing and encourage the natural sounds to share the space, much like a musical accompaniment.
The birds show up again on This Sound at Dusk (Hobbit Tree), a spacious, unshowy piece that emulates some far off rumbles with lower string playing and benefits from an insistent bird call just before the four minute mark. The natural reverb from Darren’s guitar also adds to the sound, inviting notes left on the string to decay among the wild cries and wind through the trees.
The meditative nature of a certain kind of improvised music is at the heart of this album. As Darren says in his notes, his approach to recording changed before he made Open Guitar (Volume One), with him moving away from the fastidious, obsessive approach that came with his previous releases towards looser, more organic methods.
Of course, making a three hour album of improvised instrumental acoustic guitar music demands a certain ability and Darren is a player who has developed his chops over many years of playing. The complex, accurate picking on Letting Go is but one example of many across this set, and the just discernible sounds at the edge of the microphone’s range adds intrigue and texture to the music. Take some time, explore away and be delighted.
Open Guitar (Volume Two) (June 10th, 2026) Self Released
Order via Bandcamp: https://darrencross.bandcamp.com/album/open-guitar-volume-two