Aaron Sprinkle
The Kindest Days
Organic
Aaron Sprinkle is a DIY kinda guy. Sprinkle produces and records his records himself and plays all the instruments except drums. A Seattle native, Sprinkle’s resume includes the indie-rock combo Poor Old Lu and the side project pop band Rose Blossom Punch with drummer Paul Mumaw, who’s now in Saltine with once and future Posie Ken Stringfellow. Indeed the album’s title track sounds a bit like the Posies’ acoustic pop side.
Sprinkle is at his best on tracks like “Not About To” and the Matthew Sweet-like “My Own Chapter.” And if his voice takes a little getting used to, Sprinkle’s undeniable musical abilities keep things sonically interesting. Elsewhere, “So Discreet” visits moodier territory. It’s a piano ballad that crashes into a late period Beatles-style guitar workout.
A few songs don’t quite have the hooks to hit the bulls eye, and Sprinkle seems to run out of steam on the last few songs. But the bulk of the tunes on The Kindest Days do an excellent job of putting the breadth of his talent on fine display.
