Kevin Greenspon - Common Objects

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4...according to our Business Lady on Thu 04 Nov, 2010.

Looks like I'm Norman records official Family Time spokesman for this weeks haul of releases. Next up it's Kevin Greenspon with a mini LP entitled 'Common Objects'. I recently reviewed the Cloud Nothing/Kevin Greenspon tape we had on the Caff/Flick label and Greenspon's stuff sounded very different to what I'm hearing here. I primarily recall that stuff being kinda lo-fi indie rock in a similar vein to Cloud Nothing (though not quite as good) but this stuff is in a different place all together, embracing subtle guitar ambiance and new-age sensibilities with excellent results. 'Common Objects' is constructed from found sounds, field recording, harsh noise, orchestral tones and, primarily, guitar based drones. It's an incredibly restrained affair that embraces a songwriting approach to music that is commonly improvised. Greenspon has totally mastered this technique creating a controlled and thoughtful take on blissful ambient drone that occasionally threatens to explode into violent outburst of noise. This one shares a little in common with the likes of Growing (early stuff, no beats), James Farrero (Clear/Discovery era), Dolphins Into The Future and Emeralds mainly due to the new age vibes it gives off. I'm also hearing a bit of Ben frost and The Caretaker in there. Respect to Family Time for putting out a bunch of diverse and decent releases...this being the best i've heard and reviewed this week. Really good stuff.

Since late 2007, 23-year old multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Kevin Greenspon has relentlessly performed live across
the Southwest United States 125 times, released 183 unique songs bridging together a variety of genres and constructed
nearly two dozen thoughtful and contemplative concept albums. After three tours in support of his lauded Bracing album
(Family Time Records 2009), which synthesized blissful ambient guitar drone into the readily accessible pop song form, a
follow up full-length is finally complete.

On his 12” vinyl debut, Greenspon has written and arranged seven songs blending elements and techniques from ambient,
drone, field recording, and harsh noise sub-genres into a concise album that seamlessly covers a wide variety of musical
ground. Taking a refined approach to actual songwriting in lieu of the unplanned improvisation or loose experimentation
of his contemporaries, Greenspon has woven Common Objects into a personal and emotionally moving narrative
chacterized by his trademark guitar tones, reminiscent of classical string instruments, lush synthesizers and AM radio
interference.

Highly dynamic textures of manipulated field recordings, cassette tape collage, and violently precise harsh noise
composition complement the somber melodic progressions as beautifully fingerpicked guitar notes swell and pull back to
make way for devastating contrast. Delicately assembled with painstaking attention to detail, every burst of noise
enhances the orchestral and heartwrenching melodies, and audio mastering by Jonathan Borges (Monorail Trespassing
label, Pedestrian Deposit) gives the serene guitar work a warmth not yet seen in any of Greenspon’s earlier cassette and
CD-R releases.

Common Objects explores themes of how everything in life must inevitably be shared: roads, homes, friends,
relationships and possessions, as well as the personal frustration that nothing is truly one’s own; rather, that all things are
common to everyone, spiraling into a web of interconnectedness that one must learn to embrace instead of lament.

"Gorgeous, hazy guitar drones that have nary an equal...
full of warm and inviting guitar tones with a dangerous streak of harsh noise running beneath..."
- Ryan Hall, Tome To The Weather Machine

“Pillowy guitar-washed bedroom pop for a lazy Sunday afternoon.”
- Sam Hockley-Smith, The Fader

“Greenspon is great at portraying tone and emotion through music that has very little vocals... [his work] appeals as much to the fan of noise as it does to the fan of rock going from white noise to up-beat pop into a wall of sound, and even meandering psychedelia.”
- Tom Pavlich, GP Recs

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