DIGITAL 13th February 2025
This hit my happy spot, reminding me of all sorts of smiling Americana while being entirely itself. It brought jamband Railroad Earth to mind for the lovely rolling yet perky sound, piling happiness on melancholy on dreaming summer sounds. More song-based than the aforementioned and not likely to head off on a fifteen-minute jam but delightful and awesomely addictive.
This Americana-Fusion ensemble have a folky jangle and purposefully pleasant bass and rhythm section, drawing together conversational songs and pen portraits with novelistic insights on characters and events, real or imagined. There is a playfulness alongside a folksy lyricism and musical bounce and groove. Damon Waitkus and Emily Packard started an album twenty years ago and recently dug out just the violin and rhythm tracks, adding lyrics, vocals and overdubs with the rest of the band. The range of instruments is really pleasing, with dulcimer, bassoon, viola, violin, flute, guitar and all sorts of acoustic goodies.
The sound bumps and swirls along with a walking bass and guitar solos that illustrate and don’t obstruct. The sound is lovely and can float along, pleasing the ears but, equally well I can focus on the tales, sung in a chatty way. ‘I’m OK, You’re a Shithead’ is an ironic take on ignorant dumbing down, while elsewhere sees strangeness; ‘The Gardener’ tells us, “I would like to bear a fruit like an cucumber”. There are whistle-led jigs, harmonica grooves, plucked mandolin pauses, weaving violin. Melodies are often mischievous and charming. This can be rocking fusion or jazzy – check out ‘Puer 1’ for a folk / rock / jazz fusion sound. Songs are light and pleasing or disturbed and strange, full of smart observations. This band lives in a Lynchian world.
From the beginning to the end I feel warm, immersed, hugged and I have dug back now into the band’s back catalogue for more gems. This is a grand place to start.