Picture a kaleidoscopic, lazy Sunday. There’s an abundance of friends, sun, time. Responsibility is a concept left intentionally undefined. Simple becomes spectacular, swirling, and all-encompassing. The clouds stare, and they stare at you.
This is the embodiment of psychedelic folk trio Quilt and their latest album, Held in Splendor.
Taking cue from the title, these 13 tracks are structured to encourage you to slow down and appreciate the beauty in everything, wherever you may be. They want you to relax and open up, though that doesn’t mean slipping into malaise. While Held in Splendor is dreamy, its underlying pulse prevents you from slipping too far away – it demands your presence and attention, here and now.
Intriguing tempo shifts, gracefully whirling harmonies, and entrancing repetitions of lyrics are the bread and butter of Quilt’s style, and each of these techniques has evolved since their first incarnations in the slightly more pastoral, self-titled predecessor. The production is cleaner, with each textured layer clear and amplified, but despite these refinements Quilt has managed to retain a drive that’s spacey and raw. From summer daydream to roadtrip frenzy, to country ambling, Held in Splendor is an album that flows forward in equal parts tranquility and exuberance.
“Arctic Shark” is the slow but sprightly opener, featuring Anna Fox Rochinski’s wispy vocals backed by twangy guitar and subtle harmonies from bandmates Shane Butler and John Andrews. Comparatively speaking, “Arctic Shark” is a little vanilla for a lead single. It won’t do anything turn potential listeners off, but, unless you’re already really invested in seeking out that ’60s vibe – which they show much more mastery of in later tracks – there might not be enough going on for the new listener. That being said, it’s a fine introduction to a release that is just as much a throwback as it is modern innovation.
The bulk of Held in Splendor playfully vacillates between the tender restraint of folk, the warm distortion of garage rock, and the sweet dizzy spells of psychedelia. “Saturday Bride” is a showcase of instrumental chops, dynamics, and super polished vocal harmonies, while “Eye of the Pearl” is more of a stripped down hypnosis, though equally as potent. Where this album particularly shines, however, is on tracks where the band runs wild with forward momentum, like the punchy jams “Mary Mountain,” “A Mirror,” and “Tired and Buttered.” Those songs are filled with energy and exploration, and without falling into the clutches of excessive chromatics, which some psychedelic outfits thrive on.
All in all, Held in Splendor is an album that knows when to play out and when to settle down and focus on intimacy. The more subdued arrangements, such as “The Hollow” and “Just Dust,” have their own sleepy magnetism, but they end up toeing the line between ethereal tinkering and background noise. In response to this, you have to ask: what’s flow without ebb? Keep that in mind as you spin this springy must-listen and peer philosophically out the window.
Review by Justin Davis. Follow him on Twitter @yeahjustindavis.