Israel Nash - Israel Nash’s Silver Season

by Malcolm Carter

published: 23 / 10 / 2015

Israel Nash - Israel Nash’s Silver Season

Label: Loose Music
Format: CD

intro

Despite some initial setbacks like a major flood, Israel Nash and his band continue their psych-coloured journey with the usual nods to Neil Young along the way

We hailed Israel Nash’s last album ‘Rain Plans’, as a classic and time has proven that it was no idle claim. Although Nash wrote and produced that album, it was the musicians that surrounded him that brought his songs so vividly to life. Yes, there was little doubt that a debt was owed to Neil Young, Crazy Horse and even Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young but, rather than create an album of self-contained songs recalling that sound, Nash and his band painted soundscapes so captivating that they transformed the listener to new, undiscovered places. That Nash is blessed with an extraordinary voice there’s no question about, and while Young is the obvious initial comparison that’s only a small part of the appeal. The way Nash dives and soars vocally while injecting his words with soul and passion is breathtaking. Then there’s Joey McClellan. McClellan’s blistering guitar playing was all over ‘Rain Plans’, and if you ever get the chance to experience the music of Nash and his band live be prepared to be floored by McClellan’s skill on the instrument. While the rhythm section of Aaron McClellan and Josh Fleischman hold these soundscapes together, the winning combination of Joey McClelland’s lead guitar, Eric Swanson’s pedal steel and Nash’s unique, expressive vocals really bring Nash’s songs to life. One listen to ‘Parlour Song’, the second track on ‘Silver Season’, will confirm that Nash and company have lost none of the power and inspiration that drove ‘Rain Plans’ into classic status. Nash’s high, at times quavering, vocals, the harmonies and the atmosphere created by the band on this track again recall Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Crazy Horse but, much like Jonathan Wilson, Nash is using those influences as a springboard for his own musical vision. Then there’s the sound that Joey McClellan is wringing out of his guitar of course; absolutely incredible and an essential part of the unique sound that this band create. On ‘A Coat of Many Colors’ Nash softly sings, “ I don’t live like the others/ I see twice as many colors”, and maybe that one-line sums up just what sets Israel Nash apart from his contemporaries. There is more texture, space and experimentation in just any one of the songs on ‘Silver Season’ than most bands could ever hope to realise over a whole career in music. From the lone pipe organ that gently ushers in the opening song ‘Willow’ to the closing pedal steel drenched, gospel-infused chant of “we should love one another” on the closing track ‘The Rag and Bone Man’ Nash and his band don’t make a wrong move (or sound). Once ‘Willow’ gets underway with a funky little groove underlining jangling guitars and weeping pedal steel there is little doubt that Nash hasn’t deserted the sound he captured so efficiently on ‘Rain Plans’. The cosmic American vibe is still there, maybe even more so; at times it sounds like Nash has taken the sound he developed on his previous album and expanded on it, adding even more psychedelic touches along the way to produce an even richer and deeper wall of sound. It appears that the album had something of a shaky start; recorded on Nash’s ranch in Dripping Springs near Austin in his own Plum Creek Sound Studio, the building was flooded just as recording was due to start which resulted in Nash and the band spending the initial days set aside for recording digging drains, sandbagging and cleaning the studio from mud and water. Maybe this, rather than dampening their spirits, added to their determination to make yet another album worthy of classic status is something only Nash can answer but the result is an album that shows a band at the peak of their powers. The brooding, beautifully unsettling, atmosphere created by ‘The Fire and the he Flood’ is a perfect example of how Nash, while never deviating too far off that cosmic highway, can still throw in a few surprises; as usual when Joey McClellan does his thing and Nash stretches his vocals the whole song goes off on a completely different, fascinating direction while never losing touch with what has just gone before. For his fourth album then, Israel Nash has developed his sound even further while never losing sight of his roots, and quite possibly (only time will tell, as we need to live with it a little more) made the best album of his career so far. But make no mistake, for all his own skill on the guitar, in defining his own sound with his production talents and his obvious songwriting ability ‘Israel Nash’s Silver Season’, is, like the album before, a group effort and the contribution of his band shouldn’t go unnoticed. The sound these five guys make as a unit is incredible and far too rare.

Track Listing:-

1 Willow
2 Parlour Song
3 The Fire & the Flood
4 La Lately
5 Lavendula
6 Strangers
7 A Coat of Many Colors
8 Mariner's Ode
9 The Rag & Bone Man

Band Links:-

http://www.israelnash.com/
https://twitter.com/israelnash
https://www.youtube.com/user/israelgripka
https://instagram.com/israelnash/
https://www.facebook.com/israelnashmusic

Label Links:-

http://loosemusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/loosemusic
https://twitter.com/looseMusic
http://www.last.fm/user/Loose_Music
https://www.youtube.com/loosemusic
https://instagram.com/loose_music/