Categories : Miscellany, Music Reviews.
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Rating: 3.5/5 Released: 2005 Reviewer: Nathan Atnikov |
At first, Safe Home’s The Wide Wide World and All We Know seems like a daunting proposition. 16 tracks of ambient folk-rock, with very little emphasis on the rock, would probably wear on even the most adamant Devendra Banhart fan. But Safe Home pull it off with a surprisingly deft touch, and piece together one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.
The album’s start is a bit worrisome, as ‘Suspended in Gaffa’ is by a long shot the album’s biggest shortcoming, showcasing vocalist Esther Sprikkelman at her least confident. The rest of Wide Wide World more than makes up for it, especially the thrilling ‘Stay Awake,’ where Sprikkelman shares vocal duties with contributor Steve Mitchell. Singing basically two different songs overtop of each other, they come together to punctuate the song’s chorus with, “All we gotta do before the ambulance comes is stay awake.â€
Vague and haunting lyrics are held up by sparse instrumentation throughout the album – most songs are built around little more than acoustic guitar and electric organ, leaving the melodies to be the backbone of most of the songs.
The album is already almost a year old, coming out in late 2005, though it’s just starting to gain some momentum. Better late than never for this promising band.
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