BLUE RAIN

After a 2012 debut of mostly instrumental music with dreamy atmospheres, Vancouver based Cary Heuchert returned in 2014 with a more song oriented effort that is every bit as spacey. His pleasant and laid back vocals are mostly accompanied by acoustic guitar with occasional keys and drums, all or which he plays. Comparisons to NICK DRAKE and an unplugged PINK FLOYD are apt from a musical viewpoint but lyrically he seems a lot more centered and not in dire need of uppers. A more recent project with shared characteristics would be Chris Wade's DODSON AND FOGG which has been far more prolific. Nonetheless this is an artist with a distinctive enough calling card to warrant your attention if any of the above speak to you as it does me.

Heuchert seems most concerned with capturing the deceptive simplicity of an earlier time, that being the late 1960s and early 1970s when acoustic music with psych undertones struck a purple patch, rather than amassing credits for virtuosity. While not being monotonous, the tunes achieve a uniformity of mood only occasionally broken by a percussive flourish which serves to affirm their sparse usage elsewhere, used to particularly pointed effect on "Not Just Another Day". Other highlights are the introspective opener "Blue Rain", the oddly similar and haunting "Every Morning Comes" and "Lost in your Dream", or the CAT STEVENS like "Someday". The original album closer seems to trawl the early 1960s a la BEATLES and, while possessing a certain naive charm, is a bit of a throwaway whose position on the playlist is arguably poor or optimal depending on your own position on the matter. Perhaps Cary agreed with my perspective because a more recent re-release concludes with a 2 part bonus track that is by far the best and most progressive number on offer, generating hope that "Blue Rain" will precipitate future works of import.