Efren “Rise On Up and Melt”
Can’t fight the evolution
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The waves of musical evolution move things forwards and as the waters recede to gather for another move, they leave behind tidal pools, stable little ecosystems. In one of these pools swims Efren, it’s a place where the mutant Americana of Califone, the gentle literary songs of Iron and Wine and the neo-classicist M. Wards provide the DNA.
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The title track pitches thickly picked acoustic phrases against a rind of cello, it sways gently, slightly off-kilter, the same kind of moves animate ‘Moonshine’ this time a heat haze of cymbals and slide guitar provide the destabilisation. So far so Califone-lite, ‘Like a Coat’ though is a direct descendent of M. Ward from the pinched gravelly vocal to the easy sway of the guitar.
Put it all together and you get the shimmering ‘Mr Greene’ it pushes further layers into the mix and suggests something approaching psychedelia (M. Ward collaborating with the Flaming Lips perhaps). Cut through that and you get ‘Salt to Be Free’ which is more Pedro the Lion, acoustic confessional ‘Sunday Light’ (a song written and recorded in twenty minutes) is more of the same. This is a good debut, I don’t think it’ll be too long before they rise on up as mudskippers.
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