Salient

Album Review: Grayson Gilmore - Chapters

By Matthew Proctor | 19 May, 2008

Grayson Gilmore, the red one from So So Modern, has released a very nice little acoustic EP, named Chapters. The songs draw heavily from Elliott Smith, producing perfect introspective pop. The sound is minimalist, and works well.

‘Little Victories’ is the definite stand out. The guitar is beyond pretty, drawing the listener in slowly, but the effects are positively crystalline, producing a delicious melancholy contentment. Fans of Jose Gonzalez and Gravenhurst will be at home here.

The music is the near-opposite of So So Modern. Where So So layer riff upon riff upon distortion, Gilmour has used as few tracks as possible on each song, but spreading each layer much more evenly across the tonal range. In addition, his singing voice is truly beautiful. Chapters is an opportunity to hear it as a melodic rather than percussive instrument. And it is used to absolutely stunning effect, mesmerising the listener with intimacy.

This is music to listen to in your room at night when you’re studying. It’s unobtrusive, but it’s very, very pleasant. Although intended as only stop gap between full-length albums, when the end arrives you can’t help wishing it had been just that little bit longer. And decide you’ll just have to listen to it through again.

Chapters is due for release on 2 June, and a release party will be held at the San Francisco Bathhouse on 30 May.