When drums are listed for a contributing musician, you know the beat isn t the end all. The soul derived from this special and 60s-spiritual sound is a degree of warmth for the words and the seasons behind them. My favorite is the vocally laid-back You Are the Absence, which seems to elicit energy just by breathing. Yeah, I m not sure what that means either. Joe reminds me a little of Neil Young when he sings, coming against the acoustic guitar and slight rhythm tap from the drummer, and then the blues electric guitar that takes one note at a time.
Poetry IS the dominating force.
On the back of the cd there s even a quote from Joe s Reminder poem, published by U. of S. Dakota Press. So words are hip and hippie around here. First Love goes something like I sought a home in many loves and mouthed an empty prayer, but when the first fire s gone at least, no second can compare. There s more, but you d do well to hear the subtle accompaniment. I d recommend this to live folk folk, those that listen to the birds because they have more infinite wisdom than Beastie Boys and naked navels.