Grant-Lee Phillips
Strangelet
Zoe Records
Grant Lee Phillips is one of “those” artists, solo or with Grant Lee Buffalo. You love him or you just don’t get it. While it’s folksy in its roots, the constant themes and beats are easily swallowed by anyone. I can say with pride that I’m one who loves him and am even willing to forgive his foray into acting as the Troubadour in the Gilmore Girls. From his beginnings until the end, if he puts it out, I want it. *insert fangirl squeal here*
This was the hardest review to control because he’s one of a handful of artists I tend to gush about. His latest offering Strangelet is just another in his discography that leaves the listener with a feeling of joy and contentment. He has a way of arranging that leaves each track like an old friend but unique at the same time. The opening track “Runaway” has a heavier melody than most but is another lyrical masterpiece. (“Can’t ya see I’m all bound up/ A million knots down in my gut/ Well I feel I’ve had enough, enough/ I just wanna run away”) Who hasn’t felt like that a time or twelve? His lyrics are what every person feels but when he says it, it’s poetry. “Fountain of Youth” is quite dreamy in sound; you want to just lean back and close your eyes when this one is on. “Raising the Spirit” has a ’70s style back beat to it, “Some Blue Devils” and “Killing a Dead Man” have beautiful dark melodies, and “So Much” has the patented Grant Lee yearning vocal . Each track builds on the one before until at the end, you just feel spent. Listening to Strangelet is a pure experience, so when you put this one on, be sure to have enough time to listen all the way through and time to recuperate.
Grant Lee Phillips: http://www.grantleephillips.com
