Bandcamp Reviews: Andrew Tuttle and Padang Food Tigers
The following two releases were chosen because of how much I have enjoyed their collaborative effort, A Cassowary Apart. Which I reviewed and honestly, I did not do it justice. More and more I have come to realize how special A Cassowary Apart is – I would go as far and say it is seminal. The kind of release that when it is on, folks will stop and ask what is playing? I had it on while having some work done at my house and one of the painters, said that is really nice calming music. Because of this, I decided to examine the solo work of these artists and these are the first two I purchased.
Fleeting Adventure by Andrew Tuttle
A different mood and approach than A Cassowary Apart. In both albums, the banjo is center stage but on Fleeting Adventure it is a much more pastoral and ambient affair. While the collaborative efforts brings the drone and hints of darkness.
However, I am not disappointed in the least. This music is stunning in its execution and manages to tell a story/invoke emotions through just instrumentation, sparse electronics and resonance. I can quite easily picture things in my mind as each piece plays out – though my biases, always place me in the American Southwest. This is country music that has been allowed to develop without preconceived ideas of what the audience expects/needs. That is, this is more of a country album than anything Billy Ray Cyrus ever did (or will do). An album meant for slow mornings or coming down after a night out. So, f you are looking for a floating, warm, pastoral and slightly sun baked trip through the mythic American West then this more than delivers.
Recommended
God's Plenty by Padang Food Tigers
Like Fleeting Adventure, the banjo is prevalent on God's Plenty but the mood is closer to that of A Cassowary Apart. While I have not heard many releases from either artist, I think it is safe to say that this duo is responsible for the drones and darker quality of A Cassowary Apart.
God's Plenty explores the intersection of sustain, resonance, country/folk styling, experimentation/minimalism, field recordings/samples and drone. Quite a lot to balance and at times, Padang Food Tigers flirt with pushing it too far. I am mostly thinking of their use of samples, as this can pull the listener out of the music completely. But they are used sparingly and appropriately. Often samples can be gimmicky but on this album, they enhance the music (and are part of it).
Where the above album was a pastoral trip, this is (mostly) a dark ride. Not one of horror but more of introspection or the acceptance of decay. But intermixed with all of this is beauty and melancholy. Which keeps the music from becoming too dark and pushes it more into psychedelia. If there is ambient country, surely there is psychedelic country/folk? If there is, it would sound a lot like this. Regardless of that, this album also works for slow mornings or coming down after a night out. You just might get lost in your thoughts more.
My only complaint is the album is only ~30 min and I would like to hear more. IE much more to be explored here.
Essential.
Photograph by Daniel De Los Santos, Fulton TX