From the gorgeously delicate chamber-folk stylings of “Good Medicine” to the psych-friendly rock rousing of “Synesthesia,” The Dearly Departed and the Recently Returned impresses with its diversely effective production and songwriting. The release is the debut solo album from Gregory Rhodes, an artist based in Anchorage, Alaska. A true solo endeavor, Rhodes wrote every song and performed every instrument and vocal you hear within.
Described as “a culmination of decades of songwriting, performing, and recording in Alaska and the Southwest,” The Dearly Departed and the Recently Returned is abundant with dynamic tones and stirring structural developments. A quainter initial development comes in “Love Song for Catherine,” where a hypnotic guitar line and glimpses of strings drive into a twangy guitar embrace, as the vocals assume a more elongated and melodic form. The track expands into a beautifully textured rock sound with an involved rhythmic undercurrent.
Opener “The Dearly Departed” serves aptly, bundling Rhodes’ many stylistic talents into a swiftly moving success. “Something strange jumped right through you,” he sings alongside a dexterous guitar push. Ghostly vocal pushes — “lead yourself into the night,” — rouses alongside the more intense percussion and gentle, jazz-tinged guitar tones. Chock full of quality songwriting and atmospherically rhythmic rock expansions, The Dearly Departed and the Recently Returned is a standout debut from Rhodes.
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“The Dearly Departed” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of April 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup. The submitter accepted our content-based offer, which included financial compensation for our time writing, editing, and publishing this article.
