1. That Western Skyline 5:58
2. Love Is All I Am 5:16
3. When You Call My Name 4:44
4. Give Me Time 3:18
5. When My Time Comes 5:08
6. God Rest My Soul 4:58
7. Bedside Manner 4:12
8. My Girl To Me 4:51
9. Take Me Out of the City 5:11
10. If You Let Me Be Your Anchor 4:25
11. Peace in the Valley 6:56
"There were moments of dreams I was offered to save. I lived less like a
workhorse and more like a slave.'" When you first hear these lines, you can't
really understand why the feeling that sweeps over you is empowerment. You can't
really tell if this band is gonna help you fulfill those big plans of yours, or
help you throw them against the wall. It starts to feel like the Gospel music
that the non-believers have been looking for
As you begin to listen to the record, with the bittersweet 'That Western
Skyline' and the patient 'Love is All I Am' you start to realize that this band
isn't interested in the bells and whistles. The Los Angeles quartet, Taylor
Goldsmith (vocals, guitar), Griffin Goldsmith (drums, vocals), Wylie Gelber
(bass) and Tay Strathairn (piano, vocals) seem to get all their musicianship and
expression across through the inherent nature of the instruments. They seem to
have their utmost respect for the song itself, only stepping out when a song
calls for it, relying on the other to keep the holes filled and the ship sailing
smoothly, letting the music reflect their own personal relationships to the
listener. It doesn't just sound like four guys who are playing in a room
together, it finally is
Recorded, produced and mixed by Jonathan Wilson (guitarist with Jenny Lewis
Benji Hughes, Jonathan Rice and Elvis Costello) in his Laurel Canyon home
studio, Dawes was able to achieve the minimal, warm and live sounding record
that all bands talk about doing at one point or another and yet separate
themselves from anything you've ever heard. The record 'North Hills' could be
described as Leonard Cohen or Townes Van Zandt getting a hold of that soul band
we always wanted to hear them with
By the time you hear songs like the album's centerpiece "When My Time Comes" or
the hungry and hopeful closer "Peace in the Valley" you finally can say to
yourself that you have a sense of this band's world view, their convictions, who
they really are rather than how they chose to present themselves. In a way, you
feel spoken for. And yeah, you might hear a couple guitar flubs, some wonky
notes sung, a dropped drum stick, an overall raw and unpolished quality, but
that's what inspires your closeness with Dawes, that's what gives it its
humanity. Dawes probably best explains it themselves on '"When You Call My
Name:"
"So if you want to get to know me
Follow my smile down into its curves
All these lines are born in sorrows and pleasures
And every man ends up with the face that he deserves".
Try
Post je objavljen 28.08.2009. u 15:38 sati.