I liked Luke's album from the moment I first opened the package it came in. There was something about the simplicity of the album design that made me want to listen to it.
After listening, the feelings remain the same. Spring Song is a likeable set of folk songs that are refreshingly uncomplicated, yet well-written and well-made.
The primary backbone of the album is Luke's vocals, accompanied by his acoustic guitar. His voice is rich and graceful, very similar to that of Bill Mallonee of the Vigilantes of Love, while on the guitar, he is very skilled in both straight folk and in the more complicated fingerstyle playing.
On BGVs, we hear Luke's brother, Daniel, singing. (Luke and David are both in another band named simply "Vesper.") The other instrumentation is provided by Luke (dulcimer and harmonica) and Daniel (percussion, accordion, piano, harmonica, and guitar). The quality of the instrumental arrangements is especially apparent in the instrumental songs like "dervish" and "threshold." For example, "dervish" uses only three instruments--a guitar, a hand drum, and a faint sound of wind chimes at the end. (The guitar sounds Middle Eastern, or maybe Indian, with the strange scales being played on it.) And Daniel does an excellent job on the hand drums in "threshold," providing a solid foundation for Luke's guitar explorations.
Lyrically, the songs are strong. Each of them could stand very strong on its own as poems without music, but with the music they work so well. They are primarily about love (both that which is lost and found), leaving the past, and just life in general. There are vague spiritual references in a couple of the songs ("city of refuge" and "2-1"), but I think that all of the songs are spiritual in the sense of their aesthetic creativity.
Each of the songs is well-written, but my personal favorites (lyrically) are "fighter pilot eyes," "2-1," "city of refuge," and especially, "come to you."
come to you
pen on paper, the plough is in the field
mind space opens, the cold earth yields
maybe it's golden
maybe it's blue
it will come, come to you
given the day, given the time
love is: making your world mine
mood-mad and raving
far beyond saving
maybe it comes when you're out of your head
maybe it comes when you're rolling in bed
maybe it's quiet
maybe it's true
My only minor criticism of the album is in its production. There were several points where I didn't like how the levels were set (I.E.--"traveling light"), but that is a very minor point, especially for an independent release.
I recommend this album to folks who like Jai Agnish (yes, you read that right. While Jai is a folk/electronica artist, the quality of songwriting is very similar.), Bill Mallonee & The Vigilantes of Love, and to anyone who enjoys well-written folk music.
4.3/5
