David Daniell and Douglas McCombs first met in early 2006 while touring as members of Rhys Chatham's six-guitar "Die Donnergötter" band. Following that tour, the two spent several months trading albums and discussing making music together; they began their musical collaboration when Daniell moved from New York to Chicago later that year to study pedal steel guitar.

These humble beginnings do little to reflect the depth and breadth of each of their talents; both are highly-respected musicians within their circles. Over the years Daniell has collaborated with many notable musicians, including Loren Connors, Rhys Chatham, Tim Barnes, Jeph Jerman, Thurston Moore, Greg Davis, and Jonathan Kane, as well as releasing numerous albums under his own name and with his band San Agustin on labels such as Table of the Elements and Family Vineyard. McCombs is more often seen wielding a bass guitar, whether as a member of Eleventh Dream Day, the acoustic collective Pullman, or the pioneering and inimitable Tortoise; in his role as the driving force behind Brokeback; or through his varied work with the likes of Tom Ze, Azita Youseffi, Will Oldham, Yo La Tengo, and Calexico.

In live settings, the duo of Daniell on electric guitar and McCombs on electric guitar and lap-steel is often expanded into a trio via the addition of a drummer. Three drummers have often filled this third seat in the live band: Frank Rosaly (a staple of the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene), fellow Tortoise member John Herndon, and Steven Hess (a member of Pan American, Haptic, and On).

The duo's 2009 Thrill Jockey release Sycamore is the first album to document the music of this duo. Much like their live performances, Sycamore is a delicate tapestry of spacious and ethereal guitar lines woven into abstract, slow-burning and multi-layered textural improvisations. The sounds blend and overlap to create richly faceted and thickly psychedelic passages, unveiling new layers of detail with each and every listen.