by Kendal Chandler | Apr 10, 2020 | albums, review
John Ross of Wild Pink is releasing his second album of instrumentals under the moniker Eerie Gaits. Holopaw, much like the area it was named after, is united to a traditional label. These nine instrumental tracks live somewhere genre-less, free of rules that tie them down.
The compositions can float and transition between upbeat guitar strums, bristly fingerpicking, and pensive sections of dense misty synths.
Each track on the record holds a complexity all of its own, setting it apart from each other making it seem that they themselves are untied from the album itself. “The Rainbow Trout and The Wicker Creel” is a somewhat placid indie-rock piece featuring a bobbing baseline, reverb-laden guitar leads, and pockets of synths that accompany the other instruments like beams of sunlight creeping through a window.
Ross attempts to create a place of country peace in Holopaw but will sometimes shift dramatically into foreboding gloominess. Not just in the tracks but in the flow of the album itself. Holopaw starts with “What’s Eating You”, a more upbeat indie-rock sounding track, but as your travel deeper into the record this upbeat vibe slowly starts to fade and appears in little glimmers.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 12, 2019 | albums, review
Los Angeles-based quintet The Wild Reeds has been gracing our headphones for a hot second, but their new album Cheers is pure gold. Starting with the upbeat pace of “Moving Target” and then rolling slightly more slowly into “Telepathic Mail”, which has a persevering message we can all get behind. By “A Way To Stop”, the band has established, yet again, that they balance a wire between pop and rock, a little folk twang thrown in for fun. While fourth track “Lose My Mind” feels largely vintage, “Play It Safe” could easily have been played at a sock hop back in the day as well. The production value on both is beautiful and lush, perfect for vinyl play, we’re sure.
“Young and Impressionable” is honest and open, while “Giving Up On You” is louder, more determined, but maintains that vulnerability. “Don’t Pretend” approaches from a softer perspective, while the title alone of “P.S. Nevermind” already feels like something we can all relate to. (Hi. I have an additional thought. Should I have that additional thought? No? Nevermind. Yes. No. Don’t worry about it.) Lyrics like “I’m reckless/I did it and I’ll do it again” prove us too wrong, and we’re falling for this track hard. “Run and Hide” is wonderfully mellifluous, a song that feels like a ballad and belongs nowhere if not in your car, being belted at the top of your lungs as you drive home from work [today]. They round Cheers out with “My Name”, a track that is slowed to the pace of the first couple of songs, indicating the end of our profound journey with The Wild Reeds. The lyrics make it the perfect placement on the album, a lullaby of sorts that keeps us craving more.
Keep up with The Wild Reeds here.
