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Album Fri Aug 14 2015
Mesmerizing Melodies on Land of Plenty
Bill MacKay and Ryley Walker have formed a serendipitous, yet seemingly quintessential musical partnership. Bill Mackay, talented Chicago guitarist and part of Darts & Arrows, and Ryley Walker, known notably for his debut album, Primrose Green, released this past year as well as a Pitchfork Music Festival appearance, met at a party in 2014 and discovered their mutual affinity for songbirds including Laura Nyro and Nick Drake. Soon after, the duo began crafting their instrumental guitar material for Land of Plenty at Mackay's home studio, released today via Whistler Records. Beginning in January 2015, Mackay and Walker played a month-long Friday night residency at The Whistler, which allowed them to hone in on their unique folk sound, rework material, and improvise.
Drawing on diverse genres, including storied folk music, traditional Indian melodies, as well as blues and jazz riffs, Mackay and Walker have created a seamless instrumental masterpiece, involving a range of sounds and styles along the way. With a myriad of songs that the duo had composed, they selected seven distinct tracks that comprise Land of Plenty. Recorded live, the album's nature of unpredictability is completely undetected, as Mackay and Walker craft their duets in perfect harmony with one another. We forget that they're even in front of a crowd, until we hear the mere seconds of applause at the end.
The album opens up with "It Takes a Quilt," a lush, lilting cacophony of sound that rumbles in at just around 11 minutes. Diving into various emotional sensibilities, the song resembles feelings of both peace, as well as distress. Hendrix-esque blues twangs rise within the ballad, just the first of interesting surprises to grace the listener throughout the album. Raga melodies are displayed within "Rickshaw Waltz", with its style evocative of traditional world music. The song launches from tranquility, into a frenzy, and back again, circling through intricate, finger-picking melodies all the while.
Land of Plenty reaches a peak during its title track, with layer up layer of sound moving full speed ahead in tandem with each other. Strong, sentimental, and warm, the song evokes sentiments of old Americana ballads. As a whole the album showcases a diverse range of musical stylings, while also displaying the immense talent of both Mackay and Walker. They never miss a beat, and never falter. The guitar melodies are mesmerizing in their intricacy, and showcase the immense talent of each artist. As both produce their next musical endeavors, I truly hope a second album is possible for the pair, whose music exudes a sense of comfort within their artistry, yet innovation, at the same time.
