Moody Motorcycle

Human Highway is a collaboration between modern folkie Jim Guthrie and Nick Thorburn (from Islands, The Unicorns, and Th' Corn Gangg). Their debut is a bare affair, full of unfussy arrangements and basic instrumentation. The appeal is in the duo's intuitive skill with harmonies and neat tricks of melody. "Moody Motorcycle" is a muscular road song, but the rest is largely soft strummers like "Get Lost" and the resigned "What World." "Sleep Talking," with its nods to Santo & Johnny, succeeds at the project's stated goal of channeling '50s rock and doo-wop.