Gnome Country: Silver People–Album Review
Gnome Country: Silver People–Album Review
There is a common association in the literary world between science fiction and fantasy – two distinct genres that are somehow lumped together. I have often thought this was the lazy route for retail booksellers – the Dewey Decimal system can certainly keep things straight. Lazy literary associations aside, Gnome Country by Silver People – as you might guess – falls squarely in the fantasy camp.
Gnome Country is a pastoral romp in the bedroom recording genre – an amalgamation of sounds and styles and layers from many different areas and influences. With an obvious nod to the British rock/folk giants of the late 60s/early 70s like Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and Rush and their collective fascination with Lord of the Rings and other
Each of the songs is drenched in sincerity – even when that sincerity is obviously tongue-in-cheek.
nascent fantasy series, this record hits on all the tropes. Gnomes? Check. Wizard references? Check. Arthurian references (in this case Avalon)? Check. Three obscure covers (the aforementioned “Gandalf’s Garden”, “Milk & Honey” and “Flower of Love”) and seven originals mix a well-studied blend of instrumental soundtrack fare, twee pop and something just short of trip hop.
Jake Reeves is obviously a fan of the elements of fantasy literature and obscure pop. Melding those together in a home studio was clearly a labor of love. On first listening to the opening track I felt like I was listening to an outtake from Spinal Tap – their Stonehenge send-up is the cinematic equivalent to “Gandalf’s Garden”: echoing feedback and reverb-drenched sighs fade to an earnest acoustic guitar and “It’s a place where the Hobbits go…” Too cute by half? Yes, but short and sweet and endearing – much like a Hobbit.
Silver People (Jake Reeves) - Photo by Stephanie Heath (Smiling Eyes Inc.)
The ten song titles on Gnome Country give the listener a sense of what they can expect to hear – not very different from a mass market paperback and a glossy semi-erotic swords/sorcery/dragon/damsel-in-distress cover painting. The actual music is a variety of sixties recording techniques and sounds done with a modern take: vintage organs, reverb laden drum kits and shimmery female vocals. The relationships between individual instruments aren’t as organic as the original versions – but the homage is obvious and lovingly created. The schoolyard kids’ voices at the beginning of a couple songs set a nice stage for the impending song – innocence making way for self-reflection on “Torn Between the Wizards of My Past and the Daemons of My Present.” A heavy title for a lovely little slice of pop music that musically seems to sit somewhere between Mazzy Star and early Massive Attack and something else like an English language version of Air.
“Fiddler’s Bill” starts with birds singing – presumably on Glastonbury Tor or another primeval location – and then with a breathy “one – two – three – one – two – three” launches into a very Elliot Smith-esque waltz. A flute floating over the top brings to mind not “The Battle of Evermore” as much as a soundtrack introduction. Layered strings, flutes and a harmonium are taken to a subtle fade out finish with some Farfisa sounds to complete the impression. “Sweetness and Light” features a repeating acoustic guitar theme that is augmented with a swelling Mellotron and some subtle backward percussion and then a bombastic drum fill (with lots of reverb) and other keyboards that bring to mind Satanic Majesties-era Stones as much as mid-career Radiohead.
Each of the songs is drenched in sincerity – even when that sincerity is obviously tongue-in-cheek. Taken as a whole, Gnome Country is an admirable effort of someone clearly trying to find his voice. This writer would be very interested to hear future efforts by Jake Reeves – particularly those involving a producer or an external/objective set of ears/knob twiddling.
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