

Hints of pedal steel, electric piano and sparse drums provide the instrumental muscle behind melancholy moments like ‘If I Saw You’, ‘I Could Almost Cry’, ‘Broken Heart’ and ‘Not the Only One’, all of which convey a sorrowful, even regretful nature by their titles alone. The Blossoms’ may eschew guitar solos and extended instrumental passages, but these tunes still soar gracefully due to the effortless harmonies and uncluttered arrangements. It’s not an issue when you can craft minor gems with such subtle backing that's as strikingly conceived as these.Įight of the 11 tracks are done and dusted in under three minutes each, yet none feel rushed or dashed off. Longtime fans won’t be surprised that the pair hardly stray from the sound of their two previous releases. That’s all they required to craft this 11-track set of sublime and beautifully hewed country/folk. Longtime engineer Alex Hall brought his mobile recording unit in, the duo keeping the shape of their sparse touring band to bass, drums and keyboards.
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They don’t need a fancy studio, a well-known producer or complex Pro Tools equipment to create enduring songs in a relatively stripped-down format.įor their third studio album, shop was set up in Page’s basement. Their acoustic guitars do the rest, creating a rootsy concoction that evokes an understated honesty. Minnesota duo Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, aka The Cactus Blossoms, are one such pair.ĭespite different last names, Torrey and Burkum are blood brothers (the latter taking a stage name early in his career) who harmonize with the same symbiotic grace that made the Everly Brothers’ music so timeless. His rowdier lead vocal contributions, including Texas Yard Sale change-of-pace "Sinking Suds," are fit to be sung in the parking lot of a bar at 2:05am.Ĭactus Lee - Texas Yard Sale by 709 Recording Co.Some acts, by nature and lineup, were always going to be better prepared than others to continue recording once the pandemic took hold. If Dehan's voice is a candle, then Bova's a burning mattress. The melodically alluring "Romero," the perfectly lonesome chorus of "Lorraine," and the pleasantly protesting "Bastard" evidence an exceptional sequence of songcraft. The platter's most direct narrative, "Dave Saves," chronicles a protagonist catfished by a prison inmate posing as a religious leader.Ĭactus Lee's simultaneous second record, also issued on their 709 Recordings – named for sacred digits of Austin's subcultural Seventies – stacks an even better tracklist.

Once the guitarist for ATX minimalist pop outfit Love Inks, Dehan's gentle, warm baritone proves consistently effective as he relates lyrically abstract lifestyle doctrines with mild introspection in the songwriting space between John Prine and Bill Callahan.

The group's self-titled effort contains one of the most splendid underground folk tracks you might happen upon in 2019, "Clamshell Alley," which matches Blaze Foley's "Wouldn't That Be Nice" in melody and prosody before escalating into the comforting refrain " You're gonna land/ Land in your mother's hands." On that track and all 19 others, Kevin Dehan's Piedmont-pattern fingerpicking serves as Cactus Lee's musical hallmark, alchemizing with Mike Bova's bouncy electric bass and Carson Dickey's scrappy lap steel and electric guitar solos.
