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![]() ![]() The multi-part “ Telluride Speed” is immediately striking, with Chicago jazz fixture Nate Lepine’s flute guiding the song through its dreamy verses, proggy breakdowns, and stomping, psychedelic coda. This adventurous spirit makes Deafman Glance a coherent mood piece and a confident expansion on 2016’s Golden Sings That Have Been Sung. Placed so early on the album, it’s a sign that Walker trusts his audience to follow him into unfamiliar territory. “Accomodations” is Walker’s most discomforting composition-a cacophony of bad-trip ambience and loopy imagery (“Nothing to eat/Only a pound of flesh”) that echo between caustic refrains. After gentle, hallucinogenic opener “In Castle Dome” and the dusky fusion of “22 Days,” the scenery collapses, the sky darkens, and shit gets weird. “I’m just making Ryley Walker records.”Īs so often happens when we leave our trusted guides, things quickly fall apart. “I’m not flipping through record bins anymore,” he recently declared. These shifts give the record a deeper emotional resonance than anything else he’s put his name to. And then there’s his singing: Once a competent and breezy instrument, Walker’s voice has evolved into a throaty speak-sing that sounds depleted, as though it’s been scooped out of itself. ![]() His music is heavier and more complex than it used to be, the arrangements harsher and stranger. He still continues to impress around every detailed note and keeps his new outlook on life rolling even when he snarks “and if you see the fucker who stole my mail – tell them the debt doesn’t absolve” on “Second Strand.” It is this personal connection that Ryley Walker can convey through each song that when combined with the excellent musicianship makes the replay value extremely high on So Certain EP.Walker’s lyrics previously served as a mere complement to his winding, pastoral fingerpicking, but now he writes closer to home, describing the familiar landscapes of Chicago and the self-destructive monotony of life on the road. ![]() If you have been a fan of Walker’s previous work then this EP will be a must pickup. Walker of course pulls you into the EP with his soft but commanding vocals and is the glue that keeps everything together. The pace and tracks feel natural and all of the songs have a slightly improvised feel and psychedelic flow to them with their nicely maintained 4 minute average. He amps up the mood with both “Trace Ghosts” and “Pharaoh’s Plastic” that feature a muscular guitar that is complemented by the talents of Bill MacKay (guitar), Quin Kirchner (drums) and Andrew Scott Young (bass). Walker walks the tightrope with this release as a 12″ will be available in August but digitally this music was unleashed to the world last week.Īfter one spin you know why Walker wanted to launch these tunes because they are fantastic. Singer/songwriter Ryley Walker is not immune to the issues but with his newly released four song So Certain EP he fully admits that its painful to sit on new music so long waiting for a piece of wax and when you work on a small budget the luxury of hanging out is not affordable. In so many different ways the pandemic continues to cripple artists that includes new rounds of tour postponements and long delays in the vinyl production queue. ![]()
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