Tortoise Vs. Hare is the musical brainchild of Aaron Gasaway. Born in Louisville, KY in 2006, T.V.H. sometimes takes the stage as a band, sometimes just as Gasaway singing alongside the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar or the occasional harmonica. Several members have contributed to the musical lineup over the years; though, as T.v.H’s sole songwriter, singer, and producer, Gasaway has seen fit to keep the name alive amidst a rotating lineup of supporting instrumentalists.

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In the project’s earliest phase, two other musicians made regular contributions: Nick Hughes on bass and Clinton Kelley on drums. This incarnation of T.v.H. lasted about a year and half before the three went their various ways. Gasaway left Kentucky for the sunny beaches of Jacksonville, Florida, while Hughes headed back to his native Texas.

It was shortly after moving to Jacksonville that Gasaway released Tangled Heart Rondo, a collection of the songs dating from the period “after college and before any real work," as he puts it. Kelly and Hughes are featured on all 12 tracks in the work. Tangled Heart Rondo thus stands as a "band effort" in the traditional sense of coming from a core component of contributing members.

Stylistically, Tangled Heart Rondo finds its niche somewhere between the melodious folk experiments of Neutral Milk Hotel; the soul-baring of Eliot Smith; the classic rock anthems of Queen; and the country-rock ballads of early Neil Young. In this collection of songs, Gasaway seem at every point eager to take us to the highest mountains and the lowest valleys...and every hillock, plain, and plateau in between. There is a at once a sense of nostalgia and a starry-eyed enthusiasm for new experiences. Seldom have we seen such graceful ease in leaping from one vista to the next.

As with the music, the lyrics in Tangled Heart Rondo are complex pastiche: several of the tunes like “Southern Transmissions” are straightforward first-person narratives; others like “Patchwork” and “Travelers” strike us as vignettes carved purely from memory and emotion. Others like "The Wall Clock's Chime" and "Benediction" seem more of an effort to appeal the intellect than the emotions. Gasaway might be more musician than philosopher, but it’s not always clear which is trying to get through to us.

All in all, Tangled Heart Rondo is a worthwhile and interesting first effort. Although it occasionally betrays hints solipsism (something we see all-too often in the indie rock world), Gasaway's and co.'s first album nevertheless provides an engaging train ride through the terrain of the soul. Here and there, it drags; here and there it skips past a scenic point or gets us feeling lost in the jungle. Without a doubt, though, the ride is worth the price of the ticket.

Tangled Heart Rondo draws upon several of the great American songwriting traditions like country and folk without seeming like a purist's attempt to recreate them. This heartfelt, modest quality---combined with the album’s undeniably catchy score--make Tangled Heart one of the year’s must-have’s for any serious digger of rare gems.

Gasaway has mentioned another upcoming full-length, though stressing that it's still in the infancy stages. Asked whether this will include another collaboration with Kelly and/or Hughes, Gasaway demurs, saying only that his present concern is with finishing the guitar, keys, and lyrics. Much of the character of the upcoming album, "remains to be seen." If the debut release is any indication, it will probably be a bit of the same, a bit of the new, and a bit of everything in between. Whatever it is, it will be well worth hearing.

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