A collaboration between songwriter Ed Reilly and producer Lee Thompson, Dust Choir enthralls throughout new album Dust and Sand. Blending Americana, folk, and classic rock, the ten-track album frames themes of memory, loss, and redemption through narrative storytelling and atmospheric melodies.
“Liar” commences the album with a hypnotic sense of mystique, fusing melodic acoustic strums and moody melodic ruminations on “fake promises.” The aesthetic here reminds fondly of The Go-Betweens in its stylish delivery and shimmering acoustics, joined by twangy guitar adornments as the “a liar” hooky refrain presents seamlessly. The ensuing “Shadow of the Misty Morning” delights as well, especially in its “let’s remember these days” beckoning and flourishing backing harmonies; the thematic emphasis on finding one’s way compels alongside memorable guitar work and dynamic harmonic backings, ranging from lush complements to fervent reflections.
Another highlight, “Children of Dust” is a heartrending output, its “but you don’t love me” emotional stirrings met by twanging, soaring guitar work. “Now there’s something I have lost, amongst the things that I have found,” the lead delivery intones, again capturing themes of one’s personal journey while framing the human experience as one made better with love and understanding of others, even amidst tumult. Likewise, “The Biggest Fool” depicts a broken self navigating open roads and diverging paths, exuding maturity and retrospection in its lyricism: “I wander this world without you, hoping that love will find you, knowing that it won’t be with me.” Accounts of lying and cheating bolster the admissions of a foolish past, culminating in the punishment of isolation. Dust and Sand is a consistently affecting full-length delight from Dust Choir.
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“Shadow of the Misty Morning” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
