The Peace of Wild Things began with Russ McRee reading Wendell Berry’s poem of the same name. Its images stayed with him: grief anticipated before it arrives, still water, stars above the darkness, rest, grace and finally freedom. Those fragments became the starting points for eight instrumental pieces, each exploring a different part of the same landscape. Guitar runs through the centre of the album, accompanied by bass, drums and synthesiser. Some pieces remain close to the earth and water. Others look upwards into a wilderness night or further still, towards the distance of the stars. Along the way, the music moves through sadness, solitude, warmth and moments of quiet release. The sequence gradually changes as it approaches its final pieces. For A Time I Rest carries some of Russ’s affection for the relaxed folk-rock sounds of the 1970s, before Grace of the World and Free bring the work towards resolution. Eight pieces, written as parts of one instrumental journey through the images that Russ found in The Peace of Wild Things.