From Dreams To Dust
Yep Roc, 2021
9/10
The Felice Brothers are back with the same, new line up from the outstanding Undress album, i.e. Ian and James Felice, Jesske Hume, and Will Lawrence, and they’ve got a few guests with them as a batch of new tunes were laid down in a 1873 church in New York that Ian renovated himself.
“Jazz On The Autobahn” gets the listen started off with the band’s inimitable brand of folk and Americana as horns from Nate Walcott add even more diversity to the glorious, atmospheric opener, and “To-Do List” follows with a busy, melodic spirit as smooth singing, warm keys and thumping drums work together to produce a humorous tune.
There’s 12 songs here, and each one is great. The middle offers some of the best, including the soulful, somber storytelling of “Be At Rest”, while “Valium” recruits firm acoustic strumming in a nostalgic folk/country climate that welcomes Mike Mogis on pedal steel. “Celebrity X” then gets dreamy in its very eclectic template that truly showcases just how wide the influences present are.
Deeper still, “Land Of Yesterdays” lands in haunting, poetic territory, where many voices meet for the speak- singing, and “We Shall Live Again” comes off as a gospel experience of talking and singing that certainly points towards Bob Dylan during some of his best years.
Now 8 studio albums deep, The Felice Brothers continue to impress and expand their horizons into their most experimental and ambitious work to date. A band who are on their own path more now than ever, this primarily slow burning the superbly textured effort doesn’t waste a second with its charming, sometimes eccentric creativity.