Straying
from the
same
imaginary farm
of acoustic
songwriting
studs such
asDamien
Rice, David Gray, Jeffrey Lewis and
Kings
of Convenience,
Bryon Parker’sunpredictable
2-track
EP
intriguesand
enthrals from
the outset. We’re
quickly
driven
to daydreamsof
an
LP and
of
the
magic and
menace with
which it
would
surely mesmerise; because of
its restraint, Bryon
Parker‘s understated brilliance isnothing
short of wondrous.
‘Razor‘s
Edge’
gets
this
releaseright
up
in your face and
pleasingly, we’re drawn
into a tale of war-torn and
time-worn togetherness as
textural,
lyric-born imagery leads
usto
contemplate
the twistedfate
of our two protagonists. Amidst
the off-kilter production, the simplistic
fragility of a
straight-laced, vaguely
sentimental
vocal is
every
bit as
secure as it is askew.
You‘d
be forgiven for thinking the
track is
taken from the
TV advert of any given building society or similar do-good
enterprise, but
as the title suggests, I suspectthe
ambiguousserenity
conceals
monsters
aplenty.
Perhaps
owing to it’s
lo-fi
dynamism, it‘salso
startling
to learn of the track‘s six minute duration.
Unsuspectingly
drawing
us
into a chaotic, short-lived crescendo
and
hinting
at an overabundance of personal imperfection or
selfish, snowblind shenanigans, patiently
paced ‘Fever
Dream Death Kiss’
paints a
placid, pretty
picture that’s
awash with rhythmic repetition. We’re
sharply shaken
from the our
trance
state however,
as
the
track ends in a fiery haze
of indifference and blind optimism
This
softly spoken statement serves
up a shedload of skewered
and strange loose
ends,
with each
screaming out to be tied up, amidst
the
joyful
misdirection
and
muted misery that
solidifies
the essence of Bryon Parker’s marvellous
music.
I’ve
tried to review this
collection of 8 truly
heartbreaking ditties
since it’sSeptember 2022
release and
it’s only now that I’m
able to listen to
itobjectively, withoutsobbing throughout.
I awoke to lyrics circling
my head, randomly burst
into tears, orslumped
to the floor under it’s sumptuous weight far too often, until
I implemented self-induced
fortnight-long listening
bans.
As
with most of thistragedy-laden
LP,‘Days
of’pulls us
into bittersweetsonic doldrums that
threaten to overwhelm but
insteadseduce.
With sad,
searing lyrics yanking
sharplyat
the heartstrings, soft or
soaring vocalsunderstating
solemnity, andaccessible
production that does little
to disguise any of the above, we’re
givenan
exemplary intro to ahalf hour of
hardened love songs.
Delivering
a bittersweet combo of acceptance and angst that surely resonates
with the broken-hearted, the
bewildered and
the bent out of shape,
‘Horses
to Maine’ laughs in the
face of the horrible facts. Pinned
to
a brass-rich Reindeer
Section-like backdrop, thisheart-wrenching tale
of abandonmentand betrayal ispeppered
with realisim
and sweet resentment
in equal parts.
It’s
perhaps a blessing that this
short track is over before
it develops into the
behemoth it
perhaps should've been;
like an aborted David
Lynch/Munchausen by Proxy love-child,
‘Hotel in LA’ is
heavyfrom the outset.
With
vocals barely treading the relentless waves of despair supporting
them, thisis the onlymild reprieve
we get, amidst
this tale of good old degeneration and dependency.
Banjo
boosted
and increasingly majestic ‘Ohio
I’ll be fine’bravely
addresses helplessness andsurrender;
like taking a hit
from a cherubs sawn-off, its
lyrical simplicity hits hard and
fast, beforedispersing
just as abruptly. The
consequences are left unquantified and the situation left to linger
in the minds of anyone who’s both
sufferedand rejoiced in
self-interest sacrifice.
Darkness
becomes enchantment
and whimsy during‘You’d
be the fall’, as itnourishes our hope-starved
psyche, permeating
the parameters of blind and boundless love with the gentlest of
touches. Delving into unbalanced dedication and
the unrequited devotion of
beleaguered lovebirds, it
spells out the lengths we’d go to for our nearest and dearest.
Despite
it putting the boot in from
the outset, softly
served duet‘Flower
from the orphan’is
a personal favourite.
Abandoning
almost all
metaphor and leaving
little
to the imagination, there’s no hiding from the
genius of its lyrical
fragility, as we hear aboutthe exhausted
harmony that’s been taken for granted more than once too often…
“I
was the ocean, you were the shore”.
Similarly,‘Owl
and the crow’investigates
deception, damage and the
divide
that can destroy
disingenuous relationships.
As
with
the magic that’s
evidently been
undermined by ongoingneglect and negativity,
long-lost
commonalityis
sorely missedand
laid out bare for all to see. Yearning and hopeful, grasping
for paradise lost, it leaves
us so sore andoh so lost at
sea.
‘4:44am’delivers the album’s sucker
punch, breaking every bone
in your by now aching
heart. With
its impassioned honesty andforced lyrical
optimism,
it gently scratches through confusionfor remnants of cause and
effect, ultimately in the hope of
instilling
much-needed motivation to
get through tomorrow and
beyond. Rock bottom bravado
never sounded so good.
There’s
been a lot of “best album of 2022” talk recently and
I’ve known for some time that the
LP means so so much
more to me,
easily making it into my
all-time top 5. Like a
shadow on my lung, Kramies
has left behind a life-long
imprint; striking me
as a mini epic
‘how’s Ant 2022?’
concept album, it’s left
me feeling
like a haunted ghost.
Check
in on the incredible
Kramies and his original scar music...
In terms of anticipation-wrapped album releases, there can only be the forthcoming Stone Roses LP (if it actually materialises of course!) to trump the September 24th release of Mazzy Star’s ‘Seasons of your Day’, which fans have now waited 17 long years for; just two less than my fellow Roses fans.
It’s true that we’ve had the comforting sounds of Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions to warm our cockles in the meantime, but for many, hearing Sandoval and David Roback do their oh so sultry thing once more, will surely prove to be a most eagerly awaited calendrical highlight.
Mazzy Star have now resurrected and whet our collective appetite with ‘California’, a typically emotive affair that solely serves as a sonic salute to the band’s West Coast origin, although promises of an accompanying video have been made, along with the mention of an August release date.
Following the digital & double-sided 7” release of album tracks ‘Common Burn’/’Lay Myself Down’, ‘California’ is the third 2013 market-testing appetiser, which together help to paint a picture in a space that faithful Mazzy Star fans have simply refused to take their eyes off.
‘Seasons of your Day’ will be released worldwide digitally, as well as on a delectable 180gm double vinyl and a surely nonetheless desirable CD, but our American cousins will have to wait an extra day to get their copies, as the album has a US release date of September 25th.
Further enticement comes in the form of a complete set of these familiar sounding track titles: ‘In the Kingdom’/‘California’/ ’I’ve Gotta Stop’/‘Does Someone Have Your Baby Now’/‘Common Burn’/‘Seasons of Your Day’/ ‘Flying Low’/‘Sparrow’/‘Spoon’/‘Lay Myself Down’.
Mazzy Star are also reportedly set to hit the road in Autumn, when they take to Europe and North America to promote the new LP, possibly with original members Keith Mitchell and Suki Ewers who might join Josh Yenne, Keith’s pedal steel-playing son Paul and Warm Invention Colm O' Ciosoig.
So you don’t miss your chance to catch their elusive and somewhat aloof live act here in the UK, try to keep up to speed with Mazzy Star by visiting the usual social media sites.Here are links to Mazzy Star’s Twitter page and Mazzy Star’s Facebook page.
You‘d
be forgiven for thinking the
track is
taken from the
TV advert of any given building society or similar do-good
enterprise, but
as the title suggests, I suspect
the
ambiguous
serenity
conceals
monsters
aplenty.
Perhaps
owing to it’s
lo-fi
dynamism, it‘s
also
startling
to learn of the track‘s six minute duration.
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