Good Luck Mountain are a band based around former Tandy man, Mike Ferrio.
Back in 2012, Good Luck Mountain released their debut album. This was an album steeped in sadness as it was the first release since the untimely death of Drew Glackin, Mike's friend from Tandy. The first half of the album seems to revolve around death, grief and sadness while the second half is about life and renewal. Indeed, the album was a new direction for Mike and he builds on this in his second Good Luck Mountain album, Too.
Good Luck Mountain 1 ended with the 6 minute almost cathartic, The Perfect Circle.
Too opens up with an electronic bleep and builds into the plaintive and atmospheric Morning Moon, an acoustic guitar and piano instrumental track which is a gentle intro into what beautiful music is to come.
White Calico Flower follows this gentle opener and is another 6 minute epic based around an acoustic guitar and piano with some gorgeous harmonies and some lovely violin flourishes near the end. Mike almost breathes out the words backed with female harmonies. It's like a happier continuation of The Perfect Circle. Mike is definitely in a happier place now.
Birdsong opens the next track World Turns, which is based around an insistent piano motif and more female harmonies.
The first track released from the album comes up next in the shape of Apollo. This introduces some tasty electric guitar into the mix and has a Byrds feel bringing some uptempo sunshine to the party.
Mike's delicate vocals usher in the next track Indian Summer, you can almost feel the heat as the brushed drums mix with the acoustic guitar and violins and yet again those lovely harmony vocals.A very sultry track indeed.
Much as the first GLM album, this album looks as if it was designed to be listened to on vinyl and to emphasize this the next track is almost a closer to side 1 - Maps (interlude) is 20 seconds of gentle electronica before Maps Of The Moon opens up what may be side 2 on a vinyl record. This track again uses the brushed drums but with a more spirited piano and violin backing.
The Seawall is a 7 minute epic that starts with a bass line and builds into a song of persistent drums, feedback guitars and whispered vocals. Very atmospheric and reminiscent of REM in some of their more experimental moments.
Another epic 6 minute slice of Americana comes next in the form of Angels. It's a song based around acoustic instrumentation and summons the ghost of The Band. With soaring violin and tremendous droning harmonies.
1.44 minutes of acoustic instrumental sweetness in the form of The Blue precedes the next track Out Of The Blue, one of the most simple songs on the album but utterly beguiling.
Then we're back to where we started with Morning Moon (Reprise) closing what has to be one of the surprises of 2014.
Too is one of those albums that need to be listened to in one sitting - but what a joy it is - totally unexpected and all the better for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment