Album Type: Full
Length
Date Released: 24/11/2014
Label: Self
Release
‘Fear of Falling’ track
listing:
1).
Heat and Sway
2).
77
3).
The Travelling Sun
4).
Fall
5).
Fear of Falling
Review:
Nate
Hall is the frontman of Appalachian space/folk/psychedelic rock troupe U.S.
Christmas, who were head-hunted by Scott Kelly over ten years ago after he
chanced upon one of their earlier releases, “Black Heart Bull”. They
subsequently signed to Neurot Recordings and released some of the best
psychedelica I've known of in recent years. USX, as the band are known, have
been laying low for a few years, but Nate Hall has been quietly productive. His
collaboration with Poison Snake, “Fear of Falling”, released at the tail end of
last year, is his third release in two years, following on from the folky “A
Great River” and the noisy, feedback-drenched “Electric Vacuum Roar”.
It's
nearly quarter of a century since Neil Young, following a shaky decade of
controversial albums, releasing the landmark “Ragged Glory” in 1991. Hall
channels the Ontarian's spirit on this release, with its wandering guitars,
drawn-out Americana jams and soulful lyricism. It's more ragged than ‘....Glory’
though - and this owes a lot to Nate's affection for 90's indie rock legends
Caustic Resin, both in his vocal ululations and the plodding (in a good way)
nature of the music.
Yet
it's not just wonderful overdriven guitar jams we are treated to on this
release. The centrepiece of the album, “The Travelling Sun”, had been released
on a 7 inch with Scott Kelly a few years ago, but it's great to see it saved
from potential obscurity and given a fresh tinge. “You won't mind, when I leave
today” howls a ghostly Hall over a backdrop of almost agonizingly strummed
electric guitar, in what is arguably his most outstanding ballad he has ever
accomplished. A mean feat, given the quality of “Fire is Sleeping” off USX's
“Run Thick in the Night” and the title track from 2012's “A Great River”.
Like
Hall's last two releases, “Fear of Falling” was knocked out in the studio in
just a day, giving the music a feeling of immediacy and spontaneity. The
production is huge – the guitars are cavernous and expansive on “Fall”, whereas
the bass jumps about without license with sumptuous abandon. In an era of
manicured tones and anodyne pro-tooled songs, this is as refreshing as it is
honest.
Nate
Hall's music deserves to be heard by many more than it already is, and at this
rate he is on his way to becoming something more than an unknown legend
Words by:
Jack Taylor
You
can pick up a copy here
For more
information:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nate-Hall/221469457884975 | https://natehall77.bandcamp.com/album/fear-of-falling |
http://natehall13.bigcartel.com/
