Pickled brains and sunsets don’t quite blend together in a graceful fashion. Neither do Christopher’s creepy clown costume collection and simplicity. Yet these are just a few of the myriad influences that inspire Madison indie-folk band Patchwork on its latest release, Take Me Down to the Interstate. Like the shreds of fabric sewn together in a quilt, the melodies, lyrics and influences are distinct on their own, but when blended, the end result is simple and soothing, though slightly familiar.
Take Me Down to the Interstate opens with the twangy, swaying “Don’t Worry.” Frontman Jeremiah Nelson sings with the ease of Elliott Smith, though his vocals and lyrics lack the serious melancholy of the late singer-songwriter. But the gentle dissonance in the melody gives Nelson’s vocals a bittersweet edge, and the comfortable instrumentation matches this as he sings “Don’t you worry now/ Nothing’s gonna harm you/ With my arms around you.”
It’s this level of solemnity that really allows Take Me Down to the Interstate to shine. Tracks like “Favorite Chair” and “Jumping Puddles,” both sparse in instrumentation but heavy in emotion and vocal depth, propel this hint of melancholy throughout the album.
However successful this pervading sadness may be, the several slightly more up-tempo tracks also lend a level of depth to the album. “Interstate Love Song II” takes stretching guitars and blends them with a heavy percussive line that compliments Nelson’s lazy vocals, creating a folksier, back-porch sound. Likewise, “Losing Faith” exhibits a pop-rock style similar to the Goo Goo Dolls with its perforating percussion, but Patchwork adds a level of sophistication with its glimmering guitars. On this track, Nelson’s vocal talents are also on full display, his voice soaring with a rough edge akin to The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy as the Nelson sings “Everything you wanna say/ You wonder if you still believe/ Turning everything to gray/ It’s better than losing faith.”
But Take Me Down to the Interstate‘s most successful track, “Spaceships,” falls somewhere between the album’s solemn and up-tempo numbers. “I’m drinking with my brothers soon/ South Dakota skies/ And we’ll be laughing as we watch/ Spaceships going by” sings Nelson on this reflective number. Once more, plucky guitars and heavy percussion fill the silence.
It’s this level of quietude, mixed with the album’s more celebratory tracks, that makes Patchwork poised to be the next big band to come out of Madison. Be on the lookout for their album when it is physically released on Aug. 15.
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A digital copy of Patchwork’s Take Me Down to the Interstate can be purchased now on patchwork-music.net. If you’d like to learn more about Patchwork, visit badgerherald.com/arts to read an interview with Jeremiah Nelson.
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