Shakey Graves' Fondness, ETC. Tour Sweeps Through Southern Oregon
Shakey Graves traverses North America in support of his 5th album release : Fondness, ETC.
On his fifth album, Fondness, Etc., Graves reflects on the quiet grief and gratitude that come with growing up. Featuring nine lived-in songs with a folk-leaning intimacy, the album wrestles with the tension between holding onto who you’ve been and making room for who you’re becoming, as time and the people in our lives inevitably reshape us. Produced by Graves and captured on a pair of tascam tape machines in a focused one-month stretch in his home studio, the enchantingly lo-fi LP was shaped with the help of assorted musical artifacts, including a possibly haunted 1932 Gibson guitar that survived a bunker fire in World War II. Speaking on the recording process, Graves says, "The endless options of digital recording can be deadly for my creativity. The urge to add, tinker, and perfect is nearly impossible for me to resist, and I easily get lost in the sauce. Catching the foundation of a song on tape means that you have to commit to a sound and accept what might initially be seen as mistakes.”
The album opens with “Don’t Change A Thing” a measured proclamation of acceptance with woozy lo-fi pop production. “When the Love Is New” with its driving tulsa sound beat and brooding alt rock vocal delivery reflects on the nature of the heart. “Time Flies,” is a standout timeless track and a moving cover of Frankie Sunswept’s wistful love song featuring a sonically decadent string quartet. “Sudenly” an instrumental track which provides a mid album mental break, while synths swirl and chimbs soundtrack a picked guitar and based jam, while “Away It Goes” explores temporality with wee hour hazyness.
“It’s a new recording, but it’s the oldest song on the record, to the point where I don’t even remember when I wrote it,” reveals Graves. “For a long time, I felt like it was saccharine, but now it feels like a very sweet and to-the-point song that I want to share with my child.”
“The Boilermaker” with restrained powerpop guitar jangle and octagon synth soundtracks lyrics offer sober next day reflections on the drunken misadventures of the night before. Instrumental track “I Once Was An Ocean” joins us from another time with western guitars and casio program beats that pay homage to Martin Denny’s great Exotica. “On My Own” an intimate portrait written about the looming threat of separation with hooky riffs and restrained vocal refrain, partially recorded on Graves’ porch at home, with acclaimed makeshift couch drums and guest performers birds and wind. Closing with “No Place To Be,” Graves imparts timeless folk wisdom over restrained guitar and vocals, making us feel at home even when we feel ruddless in the turbulent waters of life.
