To read my review of Hollow Man, click here.
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It's very infrequent for an artist to have multiple releases within a year. Usually, it takes years for a new album by an artist to come out, and even an EP usually takes about a year, but there are exceptions. Back in the 1970s, Electric Light Orchestra were able to crank out an album almost annually with an average of 12 songs each. Even nowadays some bands can release above-decent albums on a very frequent basis.
It's very infrequent for an artist to have multiple releases within a year. Usually, it takes years for a new album by an artist to come out, and even an EP usually takes about a year, but there are exceptions. Back in the 1970s, Electric Light Orchestra were able to crank out an album almost annually with an average of 12 songs each. Even nowadays some bands can release above-decent albums on a very frequent basis.
After iamsleepless hadn't released anything for three years after "Holding Up The Sky", to see not only a full album but then Paper Bird later on in the year was quite the surprise. But it a pleasant one, or was this EP rushed?
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Album: Paper Bird
Artist: iamsleepless
Year of Release: 2014
Genre: Acoustic Guitar
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"Hollow Man", to some, was an album with an identity crisis of sorts. While both the electronic music and acoustic songs blended together really well, it could definitely throw some listeners off. This EP decides to limit itself to just acoustic guitar as to not vary too much between the three tracks. Some may miss the electronic music, but for something this small, the two styles could have easily conveyed mixed messages. In a full album, he has more time to make the two styles work together.
But the acoustic guitar - it's such a basic instrument. Can it really carry a whole EP all on its own?
Dylan completely dispels any doubt with the first song, entitled 1400 Miles. It's a really simple piece, but a really interesting one. The guitar is not only used as a means of conveying melody, but also bass, rhythm, and percussion. The entire piece is an ostinato at its core, meaning that it plays the same basic line over and over again, but it's what is added and subtracted that prevents it from being boring. There's no singing or lyrics, just pure atmosphere. Some might say it overstates its welcome by a little bit, but for an album that is essentially intended to keep listeners relaxed, it certainly will do just that - but at the same time, it's interesting enough to not put them to sleep.
Shallow Seas doesn't take any time to build up, as within ten seconds the soothing vocals kick in. The song's pretty basic, and the lyrics aren't really that memorable, but it still works. The most stand-out thing about this track is the echo effect on the vocals. It sounds almost as if the song was sung on a boat out in the middle of a lake and could be heard from any part of the surrounding land. Perhaps that was the intention, perhaps it wasn't, but either way it sounds really neat. The singing isn't the most impressive, but it doesn't have to be. There are some things that simply can't be done outside of post-production, and given iamsleepless' electronic roots, it's clear that post-production is a huge part of his music-making process. The guitar doesn't really do much in this song, but it provides a nice backdrop. Turns out the guitar didn't have to carry the whole EP after all!
The title track, Paper Bird, is another guitar-only song, but it's completely different from the first song. While the first song was more technical but repetitive, this song is melodic and lyrical in nature. Because it's the acoustic guitar, there's some repeating elements, sure, but the focus is almost entirely on the melody. There really isn't too much to the song, as with the other songs on this album, but it's certainly a relaxing experience at the very least. "Shallow Seas" is the more memorable song, but this is still a nice closer.
This is a really short release even for an EP, only clocking in at around 10 minutes, but it was just the length it needed to be. While Dylan certainly proved that the acoustic guitar is a very capable instrument, it certainly can get dull after a while, and while "Hollow Man" is by far the better listening experience, this EP is more than worth the small asking price. And since it is only 10 minutes, the fact that it took five months to make this EP proves that it absolutely could not have been rushed. It's not the most memorable, it's not the most interesting, but for what it is, it does a great job at doing it.
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Music Video Sample:
<to come at a later date>
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