Rife with deeply cerebral soundscapes and emotive lyrics, Riffle’s third outing lives up to its namesake. Another Dream is six-tracks of introspective music with folk sentimentality and moody, down tempo Indie leanings.
“All That We Hold” opens to strummed acoustic melody over slight backing percussion and accompanying piano. Riffle’s upper octave vocals shine in this track and once paired with the demure musicality the track takes on a Mazzy Star feel. “And I Love Him” is a modified cover of The Beatles famed track (“And I Love Her). The song is again hallmarked with Riffle’s vocals over occasional backing organ honks, more slight percussion work and eerie electronica clicks and clanks. The down tempo pace and modified lyrical matter transforms the familiarity of the song into something that is all Riffle’s. On “Far From The Sea” the protagonist reminisces about past West Coast environments while in the midst of New York City. The musicality builds out of the silence with keys laying a foundation for acoustic strums and the deep, ethereal lyrical matter. “Kiss On The Cheek” is another down tempo track of piano and organ tandem with brush snare work and intermittent electric guitar fills.
Buy: http://chrisriffle.bandcamp.com/album/another-dream
Riffle has created a dreamy EP of layered soundscapes, thinking man’s lyrical matter and a bared soul. The musicality of the tracks isn’t vast, but serves well as reinforcement for his unique vocal delivery and messages. For sure not an everyday listener; this album is mood dependent for the days that conjure up self-awareness, deep thoughts and introspection.
by Chris West – cwestlaz@gmail.com
[Rating: 3.5/5]
