A banjo-helmed ecological concept album.
Those of a nervous disposition may wish to steel themselves in advance of this review, in that it contains several references to the “B” word; that’s “banjo” to you and me. The album’s central figure, Benny Bleu, has spent a decade working as a geologist, and that, based around his musical skills, forms the ecological inspiration of the album.
The title track, When I am a fossil, is the first stratified musical layer and comes over as a swamp-pop shuffle, as if sung by a James Taylor soundalike. Despite the expectation of banjo, this one is more fiddle-led and was a good choice of first single from the album in its catchy nature; but banjo lovers don’t need to despair as the second track, Fairy Shrimp, is an instrumental, featuring interplay between the rhythmic banjo and picke,d echoing guitar that has shades of U2’s The Edge about it.
Serenity Song brings back vocals and sweet doubletracked harmonies over rumbling percussion. It discusses the ongoing climate destruction that humanity is inflicting on the planet, before the banjo reappears on another instrumental take: Mercy Mercy Mercy, which, in feel, wanders into Punch Brothers prog-old-timey territory.
All I want to be offers a vein of hope for the future over a drumstick-clicking beat, albeit with structuralist musings on man’s relationship with nature. Old Dog, like the opener, is a catchy singalong glued together by Huck Tritsch’s fine, relaxed and sympathetic drumming.
It’s back to the instrumentals with March of the Mollusk, shifting in pace and dynamics, with interplay between fiddle and banjo; it’s certainly danceable (in a hippyish, trance-like arm-waving sort of way). A further single release from the album is I’ve Endured; an Ola Belle Reed cover, tracked around a ribbon microphone, which gains from the physical proximity in its recording, in the togetherness of the harmony voices and instrumental interplay between guitar and, banjo.
Abby Lovely takes the tropes of an old-time story character song of time eternal; it’s a new/old take on tales as old as the hills. Some things will never change, especially the fact that change is inevitable. Finally, Penny’s Farm takes things out with rattling percussion and a three-chord and the truth folk-sing-along. Musically, it’s positive in tone and leaves the listener in a good place despite the concerns of the world that it so pertinently points out.
Loosely a concept album, When I am a fossil hangs together musically well and will certainly appeal to fans of James Taylor and the folk festival crowd.
