Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Musikanto - Sky of Dresses

This is a wonderfully genuine americana album that covers many genres. The first song, "Blues for Momma," is a blues tune that makes me think of childhood. The classic blues style of repeating lyrics only makes them more powerful. 
"Every Which Way" is about love, the most classic theme, and it is definitely one of the stand out tracks. "I want your love right in front of me, I want it every which way. I need not know where you come from my darling just that you wanna stay," he sings. The simplicity of love is a curious thing. We spend all of this time trying to figure out who it is and what it means but it's really simple at the core. I like you a whole lot and I wanna be around you, right? That's what I get from this song. The dreamy guitar tone comes to a halt just before the chorus which creates a really cool effect.
The fourth track, "Ballad of Two Vultures," beautifully transitions into "Awful Mind" which has a western-like organ. The "oh my my's" in this song fit perfectly with the organ's tone.
The title track is an abstract collection of memories followed by "False Wind" with a whimsical violin intro.
The very last song is "The Waiting Room." In my interpretation of this one, it's about having a baby. "I don't see much of me in you but I want to." The female vocalist Sarah Holtschlag takes over during the chorus which sounds fantastic. The song moves along and the acoustic guitar sounds like it's over-flowing with doubt. Until, from out of nowhere, an electric guitar bursts in and the song builds into something else completely! Musikanto repeats the phrase "in the waiting room the walls are cold" until the song finally settles down. A very fine way to end a great album. 
I can't wait to hear more from Musikanto and I hope he makes his way to St. Louis sometime soon. Until then, "Sky of Dresses" is out now on Grape Juice Records.

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