Album Reviews

“Talk Louder” carries McCaw’s strongest chorus and acts as a necessary palette cleanser. Ender “ROYGBV”, a mouthful of color (minus indigo), also serves as a gyre of heady faith and spiritual leanings. Summoning McCaw’s quest for a win-win narrative, Imbalances is embedded with a leap of tension and friction as his wrestling testament toward exploration of self and the Source reaches a creative union.

Closing out an album soaked in brevity and by dedicated, conscious breaths, “Aware” coin drops and pivots Dream Child towards a universal anointing, where inclusivity shines brighter than the dualistic either/or.

Dedicated to George Floyd, Stay Evil isn’t directly political by spoken content, yet it’s activism fumes are impossible to ignore. With each song trickling into the next, Stay Evil is an easy 13 minutes of crust and savory inners. With thousands listening and watching, Black Ends are striding toward their biggest statement yet. 

The title track closes Moondust with a grandiose flourish; it’s a real show-stopper of spaced-out funk, with a bass line and synth motif that swoop up galaxies of celestial dust.

Tower of Age devises its own parameters, favoring a minimal approach of image wedged by slinky grit and mesmerizing post-punk precision. LITHICS’ skillful framed collages appear more analogous as the world’s nonsense and absurdity reach unprecedented levels. 

CD Woodbury and his Kings of Beale Street make a regal statement with the 2020 release World’s Gone Crazy, delivering a set that takes us from Saturday night to Sunday morning.

Under the right storm of attention, Paracosm would top year end lists. Soul striking composition aided by experimentation and instinctual foresight yields a wondrous record without any thread of amateur hour or filler. Keefer is due many accolades as a bellwether for this loose, yet highly image-rich song crafting. We’d do well to stay in his net and keep his name(s) close.

Throughout Mackerel Sky, Newcomb’s tangible, image-filled lyrics magnetize the record’s singable and melodic qualities, gifting a record which fits the everyday. Neighborhood walks, early mornings at the table, prepping a garden, even wearing a mask to the grocery store all seem to benefit from Newcomb’s kind approach. It’s as if he’s wanting to share this exact moment with those who pass by. Those who pause, are better for it.

White’s playing is asymmetrical, giving, and sparked with accented jolts. Anderson’s path streams lyrical, leaving space for a protagonist’s missteps. Together, they achieve a continual renewal.

There’s a fair amount of moodiness on the album, like the mournful “I Thought It Was You,” it’s droning music creating a languid feeling until the marching beat of drums comes in and snaps you to attention.

Rain Shadow carves into the psyche and natural world while maintaining a veil of mystery. Absorbing the zen elegance to the cover art provides parables to the treatment Golden Retriever and Chuck Johnson give, chiseling and arranging massive boulders into an organic art form few could balance.

Overall, Accretion Mass serves notice that Doyle is poised to ascend to the elite level of film composers. If only Hollywood were listening…

Underneath the brief horror, spectral hauntings, and raptorial assaults, Kapp hones in on his best sequenced collection of songs. Ghost Stories unveils a beautiful portrait of life’s contours through ambient grooves and terror as twilight approaches.

Hear the phrase “psychedelic,” and one invariably thinks of the Summer of Love and putting flowers in one’s hair. But SCM have a sense of darkness about them, adding a little spice to the bliss. You won’t sign a sunshine-and-rainbows kind of trip with Sky Cries Mary. But it’s still a rewarding ride.

Red Sun Through Smoke manifests what matters most during and after events of trauma. Craig’s operatic range and storytelling are built on lift and collapse. His poignant reflections permeate, stirring the cauldron’s spirits high above eye’s reach.