Permeating Permutations
Pedal steel is the prominent addition to this fundamentally
West Coast sound, harmonies often reminding of that other equally 70s inspired
contemporary act Fleet Foxes, but the beacon here is also and absolutely Neil
Young, and more often than not the Young/Stills Band incarnation. Whatever the
lineage and mix, this is a gorgeous album and I have been listening to it for
three days.
Parlour Song
sweeps across the aural vista on a light breeze of harmony, Nash’s lead vocal
bringing warmth to the late-night sustaining, distant guitars and other electronic
night-time insect noises merging in a psychedelic turbulence that dies back
down to its tumbleweed close. Another glorious swath of harmonious beauty is introduced
by the King Crimson-esque start to L.A.
Lately [like a lost segment from In
the Wake of Poseidon] and when the pedal steel and harmony usurp this other
precursor it is a further sweep of the sweetest Laurel Canyon reminiscence. Lavendula is another lush if moderately
uptempo extension of this prettiness, distinct Bee Gees sounding vocal harmonies
in the background. Really. The haunting A Coat of Many Colors is more than just the ghost of Neil Young in the descending vocal line, that pedal steel again permeating with atmospherics.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this makes it to a fourth
straight day, and of course then beyond.
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