Goodnight, Texas is a "transcontinental collaboration" between North Carolina's Patrick Dyer Wolf and San Francisco's Avi Vinocur, who strum and pluck a variety of stringed instruments that carry their poetic, Appalachian-colored words in the same way a gentle first snow drifts from above, unaware of the impact it will make in gathering. (The two named their project after a geographic midpoint between their two states, not for Texas-rooted sounds.) The mournful, early-Americana beauty of the group's mandolins, banjos, and acoustic guitars are perfect vessels for the abject sadness and presumed doom that fuels the storytelling. The impossibility of escaping the duo's own "Maggie's Farm" on the opening track is palpable, and the dirt, blood, and sweat of the place is as odiferous as the desperation imparted by the lyrics. A Long Life features effectively stark rhythm work by bassist Jonathan Kirchner and drummer Andrew Laubacher, with bursts of memorable, gorgeous tunes that might both unsettle and comfort the listener. This impressive debut should excite fans of Will Oldham and Mumford & Sons.