The sprawling success “Curious Year Pt. 2” is a track that makes very evident the songwriting abilities of Jack Shields. Specifically, there’s a striking aspect to the artist’s ability to seamlessly weave from intimate folk to soaring rock soundscapes. This is on display here, as the first minute shows wintry acoustics alongside the entry of strings and a plucked arpeggio. A playful swarm of guitars emerge at the two-minute mark, accompanied by stampeding percussion and backing string flourishes. The two folk-heavy interludes — one around the three-minute mark and another one minute later — add great variety and depth to the track’s more rock-forward moments (which includes wonderful Duane Allman-esque guitar work to close things out). “Curious Year Pt. 2” is a shining success from Jack Shields.
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“Curious Year Pt. 2” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of October 2019’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Indie Folk.
