North Hills by Dawes
LABEL: ATO Records

North Hills, the debut release of California based Dawes, is drenched with a truth and beauty reminiscent of another time. I’m reminded of the mellower side of classic rock that I’ve always had a fondness for, like Neil Young, and Workingman’s Dead-era Grateful Dead. The melodies and lyrics are simple, organic, and beautiful; the harmonies are rich and soothing and they totally envelope you.

“This is a soft, mellow album, but don’t let that be mistaken for ”˜boring.’ There is this inherent ache interwoven throughout that commands attention...”

North Hills is bare-bones, Americana-folk-rock. They recorded the album live to analog tape, resulting in a sound that is remarkably vintage. Warm instruments like acoustic guitar, piano, organ, and banjo are added sparingly throughout with precision placement. Nothing is overdone, overproduced, over-sung, overly-poetic, or overplayed.

The song that attracted me to Dawes was, “When My Time Comes.” It stopped me in my tracks when I first heard it, and I’m going to be as bold to say that it’s the best thing I’ve heard this year. The lyrics, melody, harmonies, arrangement—this song is perfect in every way. Here are the lyrics to the pre-chorus...
        
          You can judge the whole world
           by the sparkle that you think it lacks.
          You can stare into the abyss
           but it stares right back.

They set you up for 3 a beat silence, when the powerful harmonies of the chorus come breaking through. This is exquisite song-writing!

This is a soft, mellow album, but don’t let that be mistaken for “boring.” There is this inherent ache interwoven throughout that commands attention, making you want to come back for more.


REVIEWED BY LYNN SHER
LYNN’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “When My Time Comes • “Peace In The Valley” • “When You Call My Name”



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Dawes "Love is All I am" from Austin Peters on Vimeo.