February 5, 2021
A strong desire for adventure and freedom is often hidden under the veil created by daily life’s struggles and compromises… but sometimes you get lucky and come across works of art that make you rediscover that feeling. Today’s sophomore album by Grant Nesmith, “Dreams Of The Coast“, did that for me as soon as I heard the first track, “Never Die“; quite a festive overture that leads into an amazing album that’s not be missed.
“Kaleidoscope” creates an atmosphere reminiscent of early rock music, before “Another Day” surprises you with the rich sound of a fiddle and carries on with the warm nostalgia that runs throughout the album. The fourth song is the title track; it displays a heavier country influence and includes some great, poetic lyrics.
The fifth track, “Morning”, made me realize that the diversity of musical styles and influences coexisting within this album is remarkable. The transitions between each fragment of the album, including the bridges of individual tracks, are also beautifully written; at some point “Souvenir” suddenly presents some unexpected jazz chord progressions that I really enjoyed. The untitled seventh track brings out more of the psychedelic sound present in Grant Nesmith’s music; here are some words by him regarding the recording process and the influences behind this album:
““Dreams Of The Coast” was written and recorded during the summer of 2020 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I played the majority of the instruments on these tracks, although I did have some friends come to the studio and lay down some parts as well. Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) played lead guitar and slide on the title track, and Gene Elders (George Strait, Lyle Lovett) played fiddle on “Another Day.”“
“The album was recorded on old school gear at Atlantic Coast Recording. No computers or copy and pasting. All the sounds are organic. The main influence on this album is the beach. I live a block away from the Atlantic Ocean and the studio is only 2 blocks away from the beach. I love country music, and I love psych/surf music, so I included little elements of all the styles I love on this record.”
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Now let’s talk about the closing track, “Such a Crime”. This one really encompasses all of the aspects that I enjoyed the most while hearing “Dreams of the Coast”; freedom spanning the entire creative endeavor, very fresh instrumental and vocal performances, those great transitions all over this powerful, dreamlike ballade… I don’t think I’ll be going to the beach anytime soon, but this record will keep me dreaming in the meantime!
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Keep on streaming and sharing his music; you can obviously find it in the following Playlists: 12 New Songs This Week Alterindie State Of Mind, Chill – Folk – Acoustic Indie Only and Less Than 1,000 Followers
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