A new album release from Fathom Lane brings out this beautifully cinematic and character-riddled soundscape that has the ability to wrap itself around you and let you get engulfed in these stories and personas as you listen and the deeper you go into the record, the more attached you become.
The In The Driftless album plays out almost like chapters of a book as songs feel like they connect in different ways giving the record a concept album sort of feel and even if I'm wrong about that, these songs certainly tell stories in-depth and from different perspectives to the point where you can picture certain things vividly in your head.
There's something so personal and honest about this record that sort of reaches out at you and this is part of what I mean by having a record that has a mass amount of character to it because that's what you end up wanting to be more and more a part of.
The songs are beautifully written and have this subtle and almost delicate approach at times with an acoustic guitar backbone to everything but this certain vastness as well that adds atmosphere to these songs.
Now, having said that there are songs with electric guitar, and they're used in such a soulful sense and what I mean by that is, the riffs and the whole approach have an almost southern-kissed tonality to them to where it's still somewhat delicate, but it's got that Americana undertone that lets the songs breathe and feel alive.
This whole record actually blends together that Americana and almost country tonality with an acoustic rock vibe a lot of the time and throughout it all you get that vastness, and that cinematic tone that makes you want more and more.
There is a lot of attention to detail throughout the creation of this record and the production is really spot on, but it never loses that soul or heart that it was birthed from in the first place.
This is important because there's certainly some emotional drive behind a lot of these songs and that shines through half the time.
There are definitely some layers to be peeled back and more than a few surprises around the corners including some outstanding guitar work that take you to different places and this is something else that I really enjoyed about the record.
Has an element of escapism that I haven't seen in some time that lets you sort of let go of your own reality and jump into a totally different one for a chunk of time which is so refreshing to me.
Listening to this album is almost like an experience rather than just listening to an album and it feels like reading a good book or watching a good film and then having to snap yourself back into your own reality again.
Records that take you away, make you think make you visualize, and make you feel are the most important kinds of music that there is if you ask me, and this record checks all those boxes.
It's got style, it's got attitude, beautiful vocals throughout the whole thing, and it has a strange way of pushing the envelope ever so slightly in terms of arrangement and songwriting.
I feel like it has fewer boundaries than I expected and I really was able to soak the record in from beginning to end without any breaks.
I also feel like this is how it was meant to be listened to. Start to finish.
I suggest you do the same and I would also suggest doing it with headphones because it's one of the best ways to listen to this record.
Enjoy.
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