“Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.”
—Mark Twain
March 2012
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February 2012
80 posts
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You Divers
Will Stratton
Will Stratton | You Divers
Late last night the doors were opened to Will Stratton’s upcoming album Post-Empire, previewing the first two tracks via his soundcloud and bandcamp pages. I have been a big fan of Will, particularly because of a single song I’ve been listening to for years - namely, the demo of For No One that I heard via Slowcoustic that accompanied many a late night train ride in Japan.
Furthering that, Stratton’s New Vanguard Blues somehow flew under my radar for 2010. When I finally got a hold of it in 2011, I grew even closer to the acoustic, speed-picked, contemplative atmosphere created in his music. I’ve been following him on twitter ever since, anxiously anticipating news of his next full-length.
You Divers is one of an excellent two-track preview from that long-awaited new album, a 7-minute song incorporating several elements that I sincerely appreciate about great, guitar-driven music. A long, string-driven intro to set the stage, thoughtful acoustic reflections, blinding skill on the frets, and then (to my pleasant surprise) a couple of solid breakdowns that I keep on trying to imagine done in a live setting. It’s important to note that Will’s music is not typically a lackadaisical romp through the flowers - every song feels like it’s carved or chiseled out of those lingering, unforgettable conversations and pieced together into these tapestries of sound. They have character pouring out of every listen.
With all that said, I’m pretty psyched for this new album. This song (or the other appetite-whetting track When You Let Your Hair Down To You Shoulder) set to be a part of Post-Empire on March 20th comes highly recommended by me, for what that’s worth. You can prepay for the album over at bandcamp - as an artist who’s purposely taking a chance on releasing his music label-free via bandcamp, I’d say there are few better ways to spend your money.
I can’t wait for this record!
It Gets Better
Fun.
This is so rad!!
“And until you are at peace with God and those around you, you will continue to struggle with your role on the planet, your part to play in the ongoing creation of the universe. You will continue to struggle and resist and fail to connect.”
“This morning, with her, having coffee.”
—Johnny Cash, when asked for his definition of paradise. (via erikangstrom)
“Every second he breathed, the smell of the grass, the cool air on his face, was so precious: To think that people had years and years, time to waste, so much time it dragged, and he was clinging to each second.”
—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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