From looking at the eerie sepia cover-art
and reading the albums description of lonely highway stretches
and stories of small town America, one imagined that this release
could be a dark and suffocating Charalambides-esque piece of dystopian,
third-world order fuelled, sonic noir filled with jilted skree,
atonal melodies and pulse-stopping dynamics. Unfortunately it’s
not but what it is, is just as gratifying. With ‘Back From
Gone’, Nad Neslo, an artist that evidently takes immense
pride in his work and lives his art to the fullest extent, has
provided a sonic dreamscape that relives the ideology of classic,
drifter-orientated Americana. Imagine early 70’s Floyd or
Neil Young writing a score to Easy Rider and you’re almost
there. Utilising a clutch of analogue equipment, Neslo oozes out
a sound that resonates with a Seventies plumpness. Gruff, somber
vocals wring with worldly experience and meet elongated guitar
melodies that create liquid grooves which stretch towards infinity
whilst crisp percussion maintains a steady pulse.
What Neslo does so expertly is his application
of nomadic atmospherics which he applies with aplomb, creating
sonic documentaries that slowly unfurl like the desert-road in
front of you. Pieces glisten with a melodic warmness whilst a
tangible melancholic air wafts throughout. Played with real soul
and a strong technical quality, tracks like ‘Garnet Mountain’
and ‘September Wind’ bring the stuffy, midnight desert
air right through the speakers, transporting you to a solitary
hinterland where you are one with nature and at your most contented.
‘D.B. Cooper’ bucks the floating sonic soundscape
that had been created before it with its kraut-esque recollection
of D.B Cooper, the notorious and yet to be located individual
who hijacked a Boeing 727 in 1971, received $200,000 in ransom,
and parachuted from the plane, never to be seen. Interesting lyrical
style, angular melodics and an eerily infectious groove make this
an irresistible piece that perfectly intersects the albums two
halves.
With ‘Back From Gone’, Neslo
has provided a graceful and stirring embrace of Americana, giving
off an ethereal vibe like that so stunningly captured in Chick
Corea’s ‘Return to Forever’. If you are ever
planning a lengthy road-trip across arid and sun-scorched landscapes,
‘Back From The Gone’ is the first album you have to
reach for. (KS)
For
fans of: Pre 70’s Floyd, Tom Carter, Neil Young
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