A Closer Listen
The languid, nostalgic side of summer is reflected in these eleven tracks from around the world, each one inspired by a summer memory, with words from the artists and a matching photograph. While listening, one may fall into reverie, feeling a sense of inner peace: the promise of summer fulfilled.
Simon Wester‘s “Held in a Moment” is a meta title for a track including a photograph, which itself captures a moment; and this particular photo, in which one child is held while the other walks merrily along. The birds sing, the sun shines, the meadow beckons, the music flows. “There was a faint haze in the air that made everything feel cinematic,” writes Wester, “as if time had slowed down just for a moment.” For this listener, Go Outside‘s “Goldenrod” has dual associations; the artist’s moniker is what my parents would say to me on every beautiful day (and what I now say to those younger than myself); but I am also allergic to goldenrod, which reminds the artist of a local swimming hole. The guitar shimmers like a resurrected memory on the surface of the mind.
We Dream of Eden implies that Eden may be graced with a touch of summer. “Singing Sunrise” includes the birds, the shore and the morning sun, an idyllic setting one can imagine even if landlocked. Already one is realizing how well these artists and tracks are segueing together, despite the fact of them being on different labels. In “Lantern,” on the opposite side of the day, Christopher Galovan teaches his son how to fish, watching the same peach-purple light, the waves a constant solace, the piano personifying the range of emotions. But Anita Tatlow‘s purple sunset may be the album’s loveliest visual image, accompanied by the artist’s always beautiful voice: a blessing atop a blessing. How could we ever stay away, knowing “Evening Tides” might look and sound like this?
Water will continue to be a constant presence in the set, Niclas Lundqvist folding in field recordings of a lake in Småland (“Hushed Lake”), a reminder of an annual ritual. “Evergreen Dreams” showcases both evergreens and water, a summer solstice by the shore, friends in garlands, a feeling Center of Attention hopes will never end. Dear Gravity remembers a particular peninsula on “Shoreline,” a place to park, read and listen to music, while Memories of the Forgotten (Ben Tatlow) recalls a specific summer and a specific Gambian shore in “Drifting By,” an indelible memory tumbled smooth, held in the palm of one’s hand. Be Still the Earth‘s “Epoch” is inspired by Lake Tahoe, but it reflects a common, beautiful experience: summer vacations with grandparents, the freedom to explore. Finally Good Weather for an Airstrike flips the script; “Midnight Train” recalls the ride home from a Taylor Swift concert with his daughters, proving that one need not have a beach to have a summer; one need only have love. Connection, warmth and holiness are the hallmarks of this release. (Richard Allen)
Sat Jul 19 00:01:08 GMT 2025