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Written
by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin
Hot
on the heels of his debut EP Simple Geometry, Josh Birdsong has unleashed a
doozy of a sequel. The 6-track Where the
Light Bends was immaculately conceived by Birdsong himself, produced by Stephen
Leiweke (who has worked with the popular Jars of Clay, Ingrid Michaelson and
many others) and finds Josh’s vocals/guitar proudly swallowing up the
spotlight. With comparisons in the press
to legends like Sting and Morrissey, it’s immediately apparent that Josh
Birdsong is on his way to big things.
His ability to cast catchy, night-swathed rock n’ roll black magic
spells is in full force on Where the Light Bends.
Firstly,
there are no weak tracks. This is an EP
that satisfies like an album akin to the vastly different but powerfully
conceived Jars of Flies by Alice in Chains.
You are satisfied by the time the title track caps things off in a puff
of smolderingly delicate clean guitars that incorporate several melodies
expertly stitched together, Josh’s crystalline vocal prowess and thudding bass
drum beats. On the flipside of the coin,
the introductory “Complex Context” makes use of a fluid, finger-picked guitar
run playing the lead to the rhythm guitar counterpoints, forest thick bass
presence and soothing keyboard splashes.
There’s certainly touches of the 80s to be found here but the grandeur
of Leiweke’s production and Josh’s nearly orchestral arranging lends the album
a huge 70s/90s rock sound. Though the
guitars never explode into feverish distortion, Birdsong’s music rocks thanks
to polyrhythmic thought processes and instrumental grooves that give the
listener plenty to chew on.
“The
Sound Beneath the Static” is a melodic masterpiece of precision singing with
Birdsong coupling breathy passion to soft vibrato. His frequent use of restrained percussion and
simple low-end surge that mostly relies on root notes allows his voice to shine
especially bright in tandem with well-sculpted guitar melodies slithering in
and out of each other. Synths play a key
role as well; shading in the nebulous space around his all-encompassing guitar
work. Again, his arranging skill
deserves nothing but the highest level of praise. The laidback “Cloud 8” reminds me of
Swervedriver’s underrated mid-period work that traded their buzzing electric
fury for wavy hypnotism that celebrated psychedelic vocal harmonies, Spartan
bursts of harder-edge clean guitars and valley dwelling rhythms teeming with
thumping, economical bass lines and securely anchored percussion. This is one of Josh’s tightest tracks right
here.
After
a wandering guitar lick descends from the sky, Birdsong’s crooning voice
touches on the displacement caused by life’s overwhelming demands during the
starry eyed manna of EP centerpiece, “Too Much to Hold.” A hearty, psychedelic wall of guitars pulls
from folk, blues, country, English independent rock and infectious pop for a
poignant track that ponderously prefaces the smashing standout, “Arctic
Desert.” This tune eclipses “good” and
“great” by being extraordinary. Birdsong
paints with his entire spectrum of colors on this one and reckons of long lost
legends like Genesis and Yes thanks to the massive scope of sound incorporated. Musically, this song is beyond the description of music journalism. It’s not so much a song as it is an
experience. The rush of experimentation
that came into play during the golden era of the 1970s is found right here only
in an updated format that’s a gem of sheer beauty to behold.
Josh
Birdsong has done everything a great artist can be expected to do on a second
outing. He built off the blueprint of
the wonderful Simple Geometry and crafted a superior record in every way, shape
and form. Real deal music fans are going
to want to pick up both EPs. Simply put,
Where the Light Bends is a masterpiece whose only fault is that you’ll want
more by the time it finishes playing.
That’s what the replay button is for folks!
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