Self-released

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This trio, comprising classically trained musicians Katie Larson and Sav Buist plus multi-instrumentalist Michael Dause, are difficult to musically pigeon-hole. They’re known for the indie-folk-punk sound of their live shows, but there’s little indication of that on this short but expansive 5-track EP. Each song is a Zoom co-write with a songwriter that the two ladies have long admired—Kim Richey, Dar Williams, Maia Sharp, Tom Paxton and Mary Gauthier & Jaimee Harris. These are inhabitable songs filled with beauty that’s somehow both near and distant.

Demonstrating a knack for both slow ballads and gently melodic hooky tunes, all with lyrical depth, the threesome have created space to release music which induces intentionality and patience in its own respect. In addition to the trio’s exquisite vocals, the album’s instrumentation, including electric and acoustic guitars, violin, viola, mandolin, cello, drums and bass, is integral to its success, engaging musical textures occasionally providing as much or more oomph than the songs that they, in theory, support.

Wildfire, co-written with Kim Richey, opens with gentle fingerpicking leading into beautiful three-part harmonies and haunting cello, as the nostalgic lyrics paint vivid images of the frustration of being stuck in a time of limbo, mirroring how the past year has been for so many all around the world. The dark Anyway was co-written with folk legend Tom Paxton at the height of quarantine. It was during a nefarious time in America marked by violence, racism and divisive political rhetoric, compounded by the rising Covid deaths. Fittingly this has a somewhat gloomy background softened by the delicate three-part vocals and the hope that comes with just another sunrise. That hope is maintained with Might As Well Be Gold, a tender tone, one that stakes out no hard-wrought ambitions or any desire for more than one has, with a brighter arrangement embracing the delicately hushed vocals.

Night Train is an epic slow burner that packs beautiful vocal harmonies while being driven forward by melodic accompaniment of acoustic guitar, light mandolin touches and subtle strings. The lyrics journey across an America that has seemingly lost its way, but again there is the dream that one day it will get back on track. They close this set of songs that so perfectly maps over America’s recent situation, with the positivity of All Shall Be Well. A simple anthem for the future, it states the obvious, but often overlooked fact, that change comes and the world spins on. It is the perfect way to close this all-too-brief collection of outstanding songs that capture a brief, but important moment in time.

www.theaccidentalsmusic.com

May 2021