Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Album Review: Nesey Gallons-Eyes & Eyes & Eyes Ago

(Originally posted on Off Tempo)

First, throw away any mind set you had about Nesey Gallons. Despite currently playing in Circulatory System and helping them record Signal Morning, Gallons sounds nothing like the experimental psych-rock of Will Hart. Julian Koster covering Bob Dylan’s The Basement Tapes would be a better reference point, but the sound of Gallons is very much is own.

Rarely is more than one instrument used on a song, with percussion being almost completely cut from the album. This minimalism leads tracks like “William’s Revolver” to sound much more powerful than usually would (and that’s meant in the best way). But it’s the striped down tracks that really shine. What Gallons accomplishes on “Who” with nothing more than a pump organ and some well placed singing saws ( Provided by who else but Julian Koster) is fucking incredible. Or the heartbreak on “Abigail” with nothing but an acoustic guitar. Not to discount the other songs on the album. Tracks like “There Won’t Be Any Crows” or “Aurora Borealis” really show off the great folk-pop songs this guy could make. In fact, he could of filled the album with these songs and it would still have been great. But the fact that he choose the harder direction of balancing the album with his haunting, stripped down tracks is even more impressive. The fact he pulled it off so well, with each track meshing together perfectly with one another is mind blowing. The souls Gallons crafted and planted in each of these tracks will just flow right out of your speakers.

The mood for the album is just as important as the album itself. You can just see Gallons making his music. Tucked in his little house in Maine, during the winter, slowly breathing life into his songs about caves, lighthouses, childhood, and death. Much like how Bon Iver poured his soul on the songs of For Emma, Forever Ago, Nesey Gallons does the same, and the result is just as beautiful.

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