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Nolen Sellwood

Otherwise

Review by Gary Hill

I really love the mix of sounds here. We get folk music, some psychedelic vibes and more. There are even points that lean toward prog, art rock and space rock. All in all, this is very classy stuff that's effective from start to finish.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2022  Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2022.

Track by Track Review
This Time
A mellow rocking tune, this has so much of a vintage late 1960s, early 1970s sound. There is plenty of folk music in the mix along with more rock based things. This is a strong tune and a great opener.
To Be Saved
There is a bit of a dreamy, soaring quality to this. The cut is another potent one.
Sands of Mine
While this is heavily folk leaning, it has some definite prog aesthetics at times. A mellow tune, this is classy.
This Is For Someone
I dig the dreamy, almost proggy vibe that brings this into being. The tune has a lot of the same leanings as what we've heard thus far, but it's taken to another level. This does get more rocking than anything here since the opener. It is certainly quite proggy in a lot of ways.
Going For the Sun
There is an intricate folk music based concept as this tune gets underway. This builds out later into psychedelia meets dreamy space rock zones at times. A full psychedelic crescendo at the end segues into the next tune.
Eccentric Eyes
Here we get a song that's more of a full rocker. This is all class and style. It's one of the highlights here, in part due to the variety it brings.
Who Hasn't Once
Here we get another that lands more on the rock end of the spectrum. This has some drama and real style built into it. I really like the guitar soloing on this piece a lot. The number reminds me just a little bit of something Tom Petty might have done, but the vocals are not Petty-like.
Your Light
There is so much folk meets prog intricacy on this number. The tune has dreamy elements and some soaring vibes. It's a pretty and potent number, even though it remains fairly mellow.
Otherwise
Here we get a mid-tempo rocker. It gets into some cool territory before it's done. There is a short, mellow movement after the song proper ends. That's more about atmospherics than it is about music, though.
What I Wanted
This makes me think of something Suzanne Vega might do, mind you with different vocals. It's folksy, artsy and so cool. There are definite art rock overlayers on this.
 
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