Tow’rs
- Grey Fidelity
This
is delicate music for indelicate times. Grey Fidelity presents an unified
consciousness distilled from the experiences of five musicians. Two of the
five, Ryan and Gretta Miller, are the band’s primary vocal and songwriting
force – one can assume that their marriage is an explanation for their shared
musical chemistry, but they have talents dovetailing so neatly into each other that
it suggests they are artistic kindred spirits despite any legal bonds. Their
band mates are important to bringing off the album’s eleven tracks. Tow’rs’
songs are thoughtful and often quite reflective, immersed with elegance and an
even ethereal slant, but they are never so blurrily defined they fail to make
an impact. They are accessible and easy to engage with from the outset. Much of
this is attributable to the powerful interplay between the Miller’s vocals, but
there isn’t a single unfinished part of the band’s presentation.
The
fade-in beginning the album is our first clue that we are in for something
special. It’s a relatively audacious move and the remainder of the opener,
“Girl in Calico”, follows the same trajectory. This isn’t a song with a clear
shape. Instead, its existence seems based on the ability it has to maintain its
swirl – the confluence of keyboard color, plaintive guitar, and hazy percussion
comes out of a dream-like state or one of intense personal reflection. The
vocals aim for the same effects and match up nicely with the musical thrust.
The loving surfaces of “Revere” betrays a dollop of melancholy lingering just
below the surface, but it’s difficult to feel the pain in this song thanks to
the crystalline beauty the Millers’ achieve with their vocal. The slow jangle
of acoustic guitars and punctuating drums of “Alright” maintain a leaden tempo,
but there’s so many layers in the band’s aural presentation no one will be tempted
to sleep. “Liminal” has a deceptively simple approach, but there’s much more to
this delicate weave of instruments than the song might first project and the
quasi-shuffle tone taken by the tempo has a light folk/country music influence
that makes it immediately likeable.
“When
I’m Silent” has the same light folk music quality and the traditional
instruments featured on the song take turns that are elegantly arranged and
never overwrought. Kyle Miller delivers an affecting vocal whose phrasing really
makes the words come alive. The indirectness of the band’s musical approach
means that their songs make the most impact over the course of the whole track
rather than relying on a handful of climatic pay off moments. Some songs cut
against this approach. “Consolations” is a noteworthy example that finds the
band branching out into comparatively new territory on the album. This track
relies on a strong groove between the drums and guitar that never fails, but
Kyle Miller acquits himself rather nicely with a jewel of soul singing.
“Revelator Man” explores a much wider range, musically, than many of the
earlier tracks thanks to its increased theatrical air. The band never strains
for this posture, however; instead, they deepen their musical weave without
losing any of the deceptive focus going into their earlier performances. Grey
Fidelity is one of the year’s most resonant efforts.
9
out of 10 stars
Bradley
Johnson
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