Tall Tall Trees is the pseudonym of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Savino. Moving to New York in the early aughts with aspirations of being a bassist in the city's vibrant jazz and experimental music scene, Savino soon switched his focus to banjo and writing songs, resulting in the eponymous 2009 debut, Tall Tall Trees. In the decade since, Savino has toured non-stop, pioneering a world of psychedelic electric banjo music, captivating audiences with his loop-based one man shows, as well as alongside frequent collaborator, Kishi Bashi. 'A Wave of Golden Things', his fourth studio album, opens with the distant crow of a rooster and takes off in a dust cloud of swirling banjo, drums and bass. The lead off track, "The Wind, She Whispers," quickly evolves from a droning mountain melody into full-blown banjo funk, setting the precedent for an album of unexpected turns. Though the banjo is heavily featured, the influence of Pink Floyd and Cat Stevens can be felt as much as banjo mavericks Earl Scruggs and Bela Fleck. Savino, who self-records and produces his music, abandoned the heavily-layered textures of 2017's 'Freedays' for a more organic, stripped-down approach, leaving his distinct voice and thoughtful lyrics as the centerpiece.

Despite the sparse arrangements, Savino still manages to evoke the sonic imagery and pastoral landscapes that have often been hallmarks of Tall Tall Trees albums. Each of the eight songs that make up 'A Wave of Golden Things' suggest a world unto itself, from the cosmic country-tinged, "Ask Me Again," to the sprawling underwater lullaby "Deep Feels." Opting for an immersive experience over a traditional studio, Savino set up residence and a mobile recording rig on a hemp farm in the Appalachian mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina, where he now resides. Recorded in just under three weeks, with much of it arranged on the spot, the album maintains a sense of immediacy, celebrating raw performance over perfection. "I'm giving up on my expectations, let them go and see where it takes us," Savino sings on "Expectations," almost seeming to revel in this experimental process. Savino's voice, left unadorned, can be simultaneously gentle and strong, at times sage-like in delivery. On the album's closing title track "A Wave of Golden Things," his soft spoken meditations on mental health reflect a new maturity in his song craft and singing. As the song develops, Savino's voice gains confidence and his whisper becomes a fragile cry, neither full-throated nor fully secure, but at home in a warm bed of upright piano and echoing tape delay. "We all need a little peace and love right now," he sings as if he's at the end of his breath.

Recommended if you like: Sturgill Simpson, Grateful Dead, Tallest Man On Earth, Kishi Bashi, Paul Simon, Vampire Weekend. 

TRACK LISTING

1 The Wind, She Whispers
2 Expectations
3 Happy Birthday In Jail
4 Ask Me Again
5 A Number Of Signs
6 Deep Feels
7 Seven Shades Of Blues
8 A Wave Of Golden Things

Paul Schalda is a poet, perhaps a bit of a tortured soul, a hopeless romantic, and a guy from Staten Island. That last bit might not make sense to people who aren't from New York. Let's say that it puts the blue in his collar and sticks his feet to the ground. Paul's music seems to embody the unexpected overlap of The Band's Americana, Ian MacKaye's unhinged emotion, Otis Redding's raw soul, and the doo-wop melodies his father, Bill Schalda Sr. (a member of Brooklyn vocal group, The Montereys) raised him on. His sophomore album is produced by long time collaborator and old friend Tommy Brenneck and Big Crown's own Leon Michels.

For the people who are already fans of Paul's debut Our Love In Light, the growth and maturity will be impossible to miss. So Long reads and feels like you snuck in his room and read his journal. Deeply personal and heartfelt, he takes on a variety of topics in the songs, the common thread being the vulnerability and passion he delivers them with. The opener "Although We Cry" is perhaps a perfect example what makes Paul's music so unique. He finds a way to cut right to the bone, entirely emotional and simultaneously emotionless. "Although we cry, we are not meant to be". The title track "Then We'll Wave (So Long)" puts Paul amongst the great storytellers of song; tension, misdirection, and irony all play a part in taking one of the most sung about topics in life; love, and putting a brand new twist on it. Paul spent some years out on the road playing guitar in The Extraordinaires backing the late great Charles Bradley where they became close friends.

During that time he penned a few songs for Charles, one of which he wound up recording himself. That song, "Beware" showcases another side of P&TTT's range, a gritty, driving, warning tune where the band has a chance to get funky. One thing you hear in Schalda's music, no matter which song, is that the road hasn't been easy. His voice can be hauntingly harsh, yet hopeful and tender, raucous and gravelly one moment, smooth and intimate the next. Even though he is being compared to the famous groups and musicians mentioned above, he can only call it Rock and Roll and be humbled. "I'm very lucky to be able to do this," Schalda says. "And I'm extremely happy. Especially for my father. He worked hard for his sons and this record." 

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A:

1. Although We Cry
2. Then We’ll Wave (So Long)
3. Shining
4. Someone To Someone
5. Over The Echoes

SIDE B:

1. Beware
2. I Remember 98’ (My God)
3. Ask Me
4. Patiently Awaiting
5. Numerous Times

Freedays is almost in a way a debut album. Mike Savino's previous two albums, still having the songwriting stamina to welcome any music lover in, were birthed in a collaborative band setting. In 2015, Savino took a much-needed respite from New York City, where he had spent a decade and a half honing his craft, and assumed the role of sole caretaker at an abandoned health retreat nestled in the green mountains of North Georgia. The Bird's Nest, as it was called, completely surrounded by national forest, provided the freedom and space to work without time constraints or interruption.

Composed and recorded over a period of eight months, Freedays tells the story of a man in transition and documents an artist alone at the crossroads of the life he has and the one he wants. The album begins with "Backroads", which drops the listener into a darkened forest amidst a chorus of wailing coyotes and quickly takes off on a midnight drive. Tracks like "Being There", "A Place to Call Yo ur Own", and "CLC" provide an honest look into the author's thought process and decision making. Although it's often hard to imagine, most of the sounds on the album are experiments with the banjo, and they all reflect the innovative musings of one of the freshest sounds to come out of the Appalachians in decades

TRACK LISTING

1. Backroads
2. A Place To Call Your Own
3. Being There
4. CLC
5. Lost In Time
6. SeagullxEagle
7. The Riverbend
8. So Predictable
9. Freedays