Short but sweet 18th from Baltimore combo.
Since 1998 Andrew Grimm’s June Star have been producing forms of Americana – and this one is acoustic guitar dappled with pedal steel, perhaps a mandolin, gentle rhythms and most importantly Grimm’s graveled careworn (think rough Tom Petty) observations on the state of the world and his life.
The five tracks are carefully curated jewels of music stripped of ornamentation, each beautifully produced. ‘Do You Think Anyone Hears’ is particularly affecting as a rumination on life and aging sits amid delicately plucked guitar notes that drip dappled sunlight through the lines concerning decay and the sense of time slipping away. The piano is so ghostly that the listener is not sure it is even there.
The pace of the EP never leaves pedestrian which in itself is not problematic, what is slightly more so is the overall feeling that this work is somewhat insubstantial. A running time of just shy of 17 minutes marks this out as a missive from the frontline rather than a statement or treatise.
The EP is freely available on Bandcamp which sidesteps any question of money being spent and not getting much quantity in return. However, I would encourage purchase and investigation as this EP contains some quality well worth the money you may choose to invest.
