My first instinct upon hearing Garagearray is doubtlessly going to be disappointing to those who read my rave-up on Dylan Shearer’s last record, but I have to put this out there: If it sounded like he was sinking in quicksand circa Porchpuddles, now he’s fucking DROWNing, and it’s tough not to worry just a bit. Is he OK? And while I think the music suffers just a smidge for the downcast mood, this is still, bar-none, the most beautiful solo-acoustic songwriting you’ll find, right up there with Damon McMahon, John Dwyer’s quieter work as OCS (don’t worry, it was before you were a fan), and a few others on my list of bluesy, sadly unrecognized post-millennium masters. And while Garagearray doesn’t contain the dizzying peaks of Porchpuddles, it’s more consistently engaging, buttressed by the presence of Petey Dammit and that guy that used to drum for Comets On Fire. Every single song is a weepy winner, evoking so much emotion you’ll have to stop and consider why his voice disturbs you so. I mean, yes, I think the sadness causes one to stop and listen closer, but there’s something more lurking in Shearer’s larynx, a powerful antidote to passionless living. I’m having trouble expanding upon this thought, and the best artists do that to me; all my tricks of the music-dude trade fail to stick, all my too-practiced descriptors and jargon falling by the wayside like ashes from a bobbing smoke cradled in a bike-riding San Franciscan’s mouth. Now, I told you all about how Shearer most closely resembles Syd Barrett (and I’ve reinforced this opinion through people I trust, blind taste test-style, so don’t fuck with me) last time around, and I noticed a few un-creative writers read that review and decided to present a weak rejoinder or two, tossing out names like Ray Davies (utter shite) and Kevin Ayers (damn, not so bad). In light of that, allow me to reiterate my original point: Shearer doesn’t sound like Barrett, he just happens to effortlessly channel what Barrett might have gotten around to if he had emerged at the other end of his trip. I think that just about sums it up…
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