Main banner image on front page from John Mark Hanson (visit)
If there is something I appreciate, it is a great sense of instrumentation, harmonies and use of acoustics in my “folk” music selections. Small Houses (or Jeremy Quentin as the government knows him) includes all these things in his sound. Quentin has recently been added to our ‘featured videos’ on the front page for a great session of Country Flowers from the new album and this is the official “you should listen to…” post on it. So then, you know I am a fan of Small Houses and that I think this is a good record. You should be counting down the days until October 6th.
The album ‘North’ is almost a combination of Small Houses songs that have been in the works for a while because if you follow this Michigan artist, you will see familiar songs titles…all have been reworked and sing anew. The songs sound a bit more dense, you can dig into them and hear them all over again. Songs like “Late July” now include crisp piano and pedal/lap steel that really makes all the difference. You have a couple of instrumental tracks and even an upbeat version of “In the Lawn” – which you know has come to be from the energy of live shows.
There is also a plethora of contributions throughout the record from fellow musicians like Chris Bathgate on mandolin, Samantha Crain joining in on vocals and even Phil D’Agostino (of Hezekiah Jones) on bass among numerous others.
Personal favourites include “Late July”, “The Ground, It’s Glass”, “North” and “Country Flowers”, so look out for them when you pick up the record. So for now enjoy a full track-isting, video from the Small Houses Bridgehouse Session and the title track to the new album below;
1) The First Year After
2) Instrumental #1
3) Country Flowers
4) I and My Maker
5) Late July
6) In the Lawn
7) Instrumental #2
8) Tired and Twenty Cities
9) The Ground It’s Glass
10) North (mp3)
~
Small Houses Bridgehouse Session Pt. 3 (Late July) from Mostly Midwest on Vimeo.
Find more Small Houses: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Purchase Small Houses: iTunes | Bandcamp
Check the CD release shows for you Michigan folks below
MICHIGAN CD RELEASE SHOWS (w/ Paleo):
Oct. 5 — The Local Music Show (Radio) — Ann Arbor, MI
Oct. 6 — The Strutt — Kalamazoo, MI (w/ Paleo, Fiona D, and Gitis Baggs)
Oct. 7 — Scene Metrospace — Lansing, MI (w/ Paleo and Sacred Strays)
Oct. 8 — House Show — Albion, MI (w/Paleo and Reef Theory)
Oct. 9 — Dreamland Theater — Ypsilanti, MI
~Smansmith