Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Even in the midst of dark times, it seems that poetry and poetic feeling are easy targets for others to decry, to shame it somehow as an expression of the uncomplicated and the effortless, to suggest that the tones meant to deliver comfort in extraordinary times are shallow, eager to please and drowning in their own contented juices. Such talk is not just a heresy against communication, it is an illustration of contempt for anyone daring to think of anything other toeing the perceived line, that the artist means nothing in a world of sour grapes and misinformation.
In such times we should be thinking more of harmony, of the place Just Beyond The Shine and where atmosphere and environment are not exclusive to the means of being able to be afforded, but to where those who struggle in the depths, to those that pour their heart and soul into life and all who see the truth in realism, can savour the belief of balance and hopeful agreement.
In the strangest of moments, we can but dare to wish someone the peach of life and the quiet they deserve, and it is in the new release from the British Columbia duo of Peach & Quiet, the superbly produced Just Beyond The Shine, that the gentleness and deep thoughts abound across tracks such as For My Love, California Way, the excellent Shoreline After A Storm, Theres A Very Good Chance, and the finale of Seven Daffodils, that lush sense of optimism wrapped in guilt free statement, is self-evident and beautifully delivered.
This debut album sees the heady mix of the vintage country feel, Americana and Folk Rock standing resilient in the face of continuing planet-wide adversity, and with the talented duo being joined on the album by Steve Dawson, Jeremy Holmes, Gary Craig, and on the songs For My Love and Will You by the admired Adam Dobres, Just Beyond The Shine is an album of delight, made real by experience, and one that does not waver from its conviction. A rare commodity in a time of fluctuation opinion and stance.
Peach & Quiet release Just Beyond The Shine on January 15th
Ian D. Hall