Post Description

Folk.

Anecdotes and introspection from Brisbane, via a cabin on the West coast of Sweden.  Indie singer-songwriter Hazlett showcases his unique brand of “Ballroom folk.”

He hails from Brisbane, Australia, but rising singer-songwriter Hazlett (Mitchell Hazlett Lewis, as his mother prefers him to be known) has chosen Stockholm as his home, and who would blame him for that?  He’s certainly been attracting his share of media attention lately, with such respected journals as Americana UK, CLASH and NME all seemingly queueing to lavish their praise.  And now, having just completed a UK/ European tour alongside Wild Rivers and Josiah & The Bonnevilles, he’s set to enhance that reputation still further with his new EP (his 4th), Goodbye To The Valley Low.

In fact, Goodbye To The Valley Low isn’t the first recorded output that we’ve had from Hazlett this year – he released his debut full-length album, Bloom Mountain, back in January, again receiving widespread approval from those it reached and attracting such descriptions for his music as “Raw introspective indie folk” and, a particular favourite: “Indie ballroom folk.”

Goodbye To The Valley Low was recorded in an off-grid cabin on the west coast of Sweden and the EP’s producer, Hazlett’s long-term collaborator Freddy Alexander, has managed to capture the idyll and sense of contented isolation within the very grooves of this latest offering.  It’s a collection of introspective songs, peppered with anecdotes of Hazlett’s varies life experiences and, fittingly, the production is sparse in parts, yet surprisingly full and rich in others, as Hazlett’s softly-strummed acoustic guitar is augmented by synths, electric guitars and, on at least one glorious occasion, a swooping pedal steel. 

One of three singles to have been taken from Goodbye To The Valley Low, opening track Blame The Moon is a true statement of intent.  The song’s description as “…a sonic reflection of grand plans that were never fulfilled” is emphasized in lines like: “Lately I don’t feel inspired – wish I was a better liar.  That’s why I blame the moon,” which Hazlett delivers in a style that is so utterly laid-back, that the music almost grinds to halt at one point, before things get decidedly – and appropriately, given the song’s title – spacy.

Multiple guitars and a dash of soft, subtle, synth carry that spacy feel forward into Mama’s Boy, the collection’s lead single.  Hazlett shows the vulnerable side of his character here, as the song builds slowly until it becomes markedly upbeat and positive. 


Feelings of dissatisfaction and longing are expressed in lines like: “So what’s the point of trusting?  You’re gonna leave me here with nothing.  Everybody wants something,” in the contemplative Missionary Feelings.  Like several of the tracks on Goodbye to the Valley Low, it’s a song that starts life quietly, before moving in the direction of a big ballad climax.

For latest single, Slow Running, Hazlett heads into ambient folk territory.  The strummed guitar and a slightly echo-y vocal evoke something of a Pink Floyd feel, before a soundscape of keyboard tinkles, guitar twangs and slides and synth swirls takes us into dreamland. 

Next, Hazlett relives fond childhood memories in the atmospheric, keening, Cemetery, another slow-builder of a song, before the whole collection is wrapped up with its outstanding finale, Stolen Seasons.  In explaining the rationale for the song, Hazlett had this to say: “Everything happens for a reason.  But, in the heat of some moments, it’s hard not to throw your hands up in the air and shake a fist at the sky.”  With its plucked guitar, soaring pedal steel and multi-tracked vocal, the song almost – but not quite – ventures into Simon & Garfunkel country and, when the discrete percussion joins the party, the contrast between the richness of the sound and the sparsity of the previous tracks is remarkable.

Tracks:
01 - Blame The Moon
02 - Missionary Feelings
03 - Mama's Boy
04 - Slow Running
05 - Cemetery
06 - Stolen Seasons

Staat er compleet op, 10% pars mee gepost. Met zeer veel dank aan de originele poster. Laat af en toe eens weten wat je van het album vindt. Altijd leuk, de mening van anderen. Oh ja, MP3 doe ik niet aan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KSdCI86CO8