#Cactus album thanks to professional#
Recording a band live in a studio is mandatory at some point or at the very least I think handing these mixes to a professional mastering engineer would have some benefit. There is just so much subtlety in these songs that was getting lost. On that note I would have loved to have heard studio quality recordings. You could say it captures their live energy more.Īs an engineer myself I thought the recordings were good. Last up is “Bees (LIVE)” which is a lo-fi recording and this song in particular felt very much like a jam band. The song slowly dissipates after that and eventually leads to complete silence. There is a middle section which sounds like a waltz before the song comes to climax around the six-minute mark. The song goes into a number of interesting areas. There was little doubt in my mind the song would build and it does but it’s a fairly slow burn. In fact I really liked how still and subdued the song felt.
I loved the haunting way it opened with vocal harmonies and strings. Next up is “Ancient Lungs” which is the highlight and a little under nine minutes long. Perhaps more than anything else this felt like a song that was meant to be experienced live. It’s a song that I definitely felt the six-plus-minute run time was worth it. On top of that the song isn’t pop song catchy but the melodies do have a sing-along type quality. The song is loose in feel but the instrumental performances are very tight and technically impressive. They open with “Beautiful Specter” and the vibe here is a little Fleet Foxes, a little jam band and a little of the X-factor. I can’t say I achieved Advaita Vedanta or nondualism through their music but I did appreciate their tunes. Additionally, they strive to bring as many people as possible to a state of oneness through their music. They say that they write songs about trees, bees, octopuses and the trappings of the human mind. “We wanted it to sound raw.Cactus Island is a progadelic folk rock band based in Boston, MA. “From the start, we knew we wanted to keep the instrumentation minimal and consistent across the whole album and embrace the dryness that came with recording in Page’s basement,” says Torrey. They kept their circle tight for the sessions, working with their core touring band-which included both their older brother and their cousin-to capture the songs with a feel as close to the live show as possible. When it came time to record, the brothers called on longtime collaborator/engineer Alex Hall, who brought his mobile rig up from Chicago so they could cut the album quick and dirty in Burkum’s basement. “We had to put things on hold just so we could try to wrap our heads around everything that was happening in Minneapolis and beyond.”Īs 2020 stretched on, Torrey and Burkum slowly began to regain their footing, and when it felt safe enough to get together in person, they started kicking ideas back and forth, inviting each other into their respective writing processes earlier than ever before. “It felt like the whole world was falling apart,” says Burkum. Quarantine put a sudden halt to their plans to record a new studio record, and as Minneapolis began to erupt in social and political unrest following the police killing of George Floyd, music began to seem like the least of the duo’s concerns. The band’s classic country and old-school pop roots are still there, of course, but the growth and evolution underlying One Day is obvious, not only in the duo’s writing, but in their core philosophy, as well. While The Cactus Blossoms have drawn frequent comparisons to other musical siblings like the Everlys and Louvins over the years, One Day often suggests a more soulful, ’70s-inspired palette, hinting at times to Bobby Charles or JJ Cale with its playful Wurlitzer, breezy guitars, and lean, muscular percussion. “It’s an acknowledgment that no matter how messed up things might be, people still want to believe in the world and find ways to feel lucky and joyful.” “That idea of finding a silver lining comes up a lot on this record,” says Torrey. “I hope it all works out,” the brothers sing in exquisite harmony, “It always works out.” Zoom out, and there’s a deeper message about the power (or naïveté) of positive thinking. Like much of The Cactus Blossoms’ catalog, the The steady-cruising “Hey Baby” operates on multiple levels: take it at face value and it’s a playful little track about a roadtrip in a rusty old truck.
0 kommentar(er)
