Thursday, December 7, 2017

Josh Birdsong - Where the Light Bends (2017)




Written by Jason Snyder, posted by blog admin

Nashville’s Josh Birdsong certainly didn’t fall into trend based on location.  The psychedelic, graceful organically grown indie rock heard on his second EP, Where the Light Bends, flirts with everything from 70s German influences (think Ash Ra Tempel’s electronica era) to the layered modern trips of Animal Collective.  Opener “Complex Context” enforces these comparisons while establishing Birdsong’s own unique take on quirky, progressive indie rock.  A simplistic driving beat and buoyant bass lines push along a cascading waterfall of effects laden guitars, synth counterpoints and a distinct touch of English shoegaze.
   
Second cut “The Sound Beneath the Static” may not pack in the tempo changes or technical flash but from a compositional/texture standpoint its swirling keyboards, trembling vocalizations, soft percussiveness and delay/echo/loop guitar pedal flourishes concoct a rich, lush atmosphere of melancholy gravitas filled with hooks that stick to the brainstem.  “Cloud 8” mashes together multiple string, electronic and vocal tracks for a drippy, mind-altering brew that never outright becomes “rock n’ roll” but never gets boring either.  A solid foundation of bottom end held together by the bass guitar and electronic beats keep things low to the ground yet the constantly morphing guitar work, soulful vocals and heavenly keyboards lift the music higher up in the atmosphere.  Musically, this stuff would be perfect for an arthouse film and oftentimes the arrangements feel cinematic in scope. 

The droning, ethereal hum of “Too Much to Hold” unfolds even slower than the preceding tunes but rewards the patient listener with guitar chords that constantly build towards scenic majesty as Josh’s voice reaches numerous melodic crests.  Keyboards slowly fill in the space around the guitar; twinkling like stars falling across a serene night sky.  There’s a blues-based ambience threaded throughout the guitar work here that adds a slight groove to the cozy, comfortable melodies. 

“Arctic Desert” is one of the EP’s finest highlights.  Utilizing a finger tapping guitar style to accentuate each note the music packs in a lot of energy despite focusing on minimalism.  It works up a hypnotic trance that Pink Floyd fans could relate to.  The tripped-out keyboards show equal love to soundtrack style psychedelic bands like Goblin or Zombi as well as darkwave and ambient techno musicians.  Thanks to some juicy guitar twang and soaring vocals, Birdsong manages to craft a stylistic take that on these varying sonic ideas that are distinctly his own.  Closing things off, the title track conjures up catchy vocals and ever-flowing guitar tapestries that relish dream-pop influences. 

Where the Light Bends might not have a lot of variation in tempo or style within its set parameters but it shines as a front to back whole that keeps you holding on for the ride and firmly entrenched in its glowingly gorgeous songcraft.  It’s that feature that makes Josh Birdsong an extremely unique talent and a developing artist that you’re going to want to keep on an eye on after hearing Where the Light Bends. 

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