Lake Mary (07.09, Self-Released)
Byline: Lake Mary
For: Peter Walker, James Blackshaw, Very Secretary
I read a note once that said in order to fly you just have to aim for the ground and miss. The trick is you have to be totally distracted in order to completely miss your mark. Chaz Prymek's Lake Mary is full of those wonderful distractions that let the album soar over any previous bench marks or musical styles that Mr. Prymek has hitherto aimed for. It once seemed as though Chaz would be SLC's resident Kaki King or Micheal Hedges or some other insanely talented guitar virtuoso. Lake Mary completely destroys the notion of a solo acoustic guitar albums being all about prefunctory, ego satsifying finger tapping and cluster notes. Lake Mary is a complete entity unto itself. Philip Glass minimalism, complete with repeating vocal lines, saxophones, and trumpets, augment textured guitar musing that ooze a certain aural lucidity. An electric guitar even finds its way onto In the Valley of the Devil Whale. There is even a charming sung track on the album, what a difference a little difference can make. The slower arrangements on this album remind me of music coming out of Champaign-Urbana around the late nineties, post-emo bands like Very Secretary, American Football, and Joan of Arc that have a sort of vintage sound that remind of fall afternoons or summer nights. Lake Mary contains two completely reworked songs off of Bicycles and Breakfast. 2009 has been a watershed year for New Weird Utah with incredible albums from Silver Antlers and Navigator. This could be the year that Utah broke. Catch Chaz Prymek and James Miska on their West Coast Bicycle tour starting this month.
RYAN. you are awesome. someday i will listen to all this music you review. ALL OF IT. but for now, i'll just enjoy your superior writing.
ReplyDelete:) hope all is well. we need to catch up. we'll be back in the states at the end of the month and i'll give you a call then. first i'll have to get a phone. but after that.