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The Loomis Fargo Gang, The Prettiest Shade of Blue: A Brief Sojourn

Posted in Reviews on December 27th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

The peaceful character that permeates Virginian folk/alt. country outfit The Loomis Fargo Gang‘s second self-released album is immediate in the unassuming digipak of the CD itself. No plastic tray houses the disc, just a nub to perch it, and soft photos credited to Iva Nash appear on the front and back cover and with the lyric notes. Names are given — the band is listed as Michael Bosler, Winky Nash, Michael Pilapil, Matthew Michels and Brad Martin — and the band as a whole is credited with writing, recording, mixing and mastering The Prettiest Shade of Blue, but no individual roles are noted; i.e., who plays the loosely-strummed acoustic guitar on “She Will be Mine” or adds pedal steel to the lightly rambling “Hazy, Lazy, Blue.” If The Prettiest Shade of Blue, which follows The Loomis Fargo Gang‘s 2008 debut, Humans, Nature and Human Nature, is meant to be taken as a whole, with focus not on the specifics of where each element is coming from, but rather the overarching effect those elements have when used in combination, the eight songs themselves are certainly amenable to that. Totaling just under half an hour, The Prettiest Shade of Blue is as friendly a listen as one could ask, and while its sense of twang will probably put off some listeners, particularly in longer songs like opener “Seventeen White Azaleas” and the aforementioned “She Will be Mine” (tied for the longest at 5:20; partial points), which acts as an opener for what would be side B of an evenly-split vinyl, have room for greater depth of mood, and variety in vocal styles if not vocalists and instrumental arrangements makes The Prettiest Shade of Blue a quick but endearing listen that straddles several genre lines.

In terms of folk, pick a Guthrie and you’ll probably be able to pinpoint somewhere on the album the influence appears, but of course The Loomis Fargo Gang have a much richer sound overall than a solo singer-songwriter would, and that shows itself in the variety throughout. “Seventeen White Azaleas” sets the tone in being based around acoustic guitar, but its far-back, echoing shoegaze vocals are a standout, and the flourish of piano gives another component to the space created. To contrast, the rest of the first half of The Prettiest Shade of Blue is comparatively lighthearted. It’s entirely possible that “Trampoline”‘s chorus and title were inspired by the bounce of the music itself, and the key work, plucked strings, later electric guitar solo and loose vocal harmonies further its natural warmth, “Hazy, Lazy, Blue” following suit with multiple voices and a fuller arrangement still very much in a traditional style. Quiet drums and a light bass rhythm give it a toe-tap readiness, and while “Birds” has a more distinct solo feel to start, as its quick 90 seconds unfold it comes to play no worse with others. The divide between sides is clear particularly looking at the runtimes of the songs, with “She Will be Mine” matching “Seventeen White Azaleas,” but the feel of the songs follows suit as well, though where “Trampoline” and “Hazy, Lazy, Blue” meandered into a kind of pastoral traditionalism, “Tootsie in the Breeze” and “Sugar Cane” veer more toward quiet indie; the former of the two particularly sounds like it’s waiting for Wes Anderson to transpose its wistful nostalgia onto a closeup of some determined adolescent. As a group, The Loomis Fargo Gang are just as able to work in one sonic feel as the other.

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