Somewhere in the Blue Mountains in Australia, a range of mountains I have never seen, and one that is very far away from the Cascades I grew up in, the artist fleecepantwarm composes folk music that somehow still feels like home. Their new single “counsel” warrants comparisons to artists like Runner and Oakn, but the elliptical lyrics and carefully arranged guitars push the melody in a more ethereal direction.
Where I am writing, it is raining outside, and what the poets call the cruelest month holds back warm Spring weather for another day, but this is a tune that feels made for the season. The sonic landscape includes swelling guitars and a slow-building synth backdrop that implies an eventual change and perhaps even a coming light. The title suggests well-aged advice for someone who is going through it. The musician counsels “I was there a year ago while I was weak,” as if to remind the listener–in the spirit of both George Harrison and the bible–that all things pass.
The song is a gentle reminder that while folk music may be suited for all seasons, it is especially fertile ground for the Spring and Fall in which anticipation and transition dominate the natural landscape. The production is warm, and as the artist’s namesake suggests, it is a comforting warmth that promises to carry the listener through periods of “weakness” and “emptiness”. I, for one, recommend taking the song up on that promise, and you can do so through the link below.
Written by SilenceKid
