Greg Laswell - Three Flights from Alto Nido
This post was written by Benjiposted in Uncategorized |
The critically acclaimed, clean-shaven, San Diegoan Greg Laswell has woken from his sleepy coastal disposition and released a dazzling sophomore album. Admittedly, I was rather underwhelmed by his debut Through Toledo, despite the attention it was given. So you may understand why I was hesitant to even pick up Laswell’s new album. But I’m a man who gives second chances, and I’m glad I gave Laswell one.
In Spanish, alto nido means “high nest”. As I was listening to this spectacular album, I kept thinking about this phrase. What does it mean be three flights from a high nest? Is he aspiring to something greater? Is he acknowledging that it will take a great deal to reach this high nest (the three flights)? But the answer became all the more clearer as the record began to play. The opening track “That it Moves” features what appears to be Laswell’s signature pop-piano technique as he hypnotizingly asks, ‘Do you like the way that it moves?’. The answer is yes, I do like the way. The slower ballad “Comes and Goes (in Waves)” showcases his rather wide vocal range and establishes him as a full blown troubadour. The definite highlight of the album “How the Day Sounds” has a pounding piano riff that only emphasizes Laswell’s enhanced pop sensibilties, while the finale track “And Then You” begins ever so gently only to rise in a crescendo of high-pitched pianos. As a body of work, it does seem to me that Laswell is trying to create a sound bigger than himself, that relates to an audience that is much wider than that of his first album. In essence, this is what appears to be his ‘high nest’, and indeed it seems as though he’s well on his way.
Go and get a copy of Three Flights from Alto Nido.
Listen to “How the Day Sounds”
Listen to “That it Moves“
posted on September 30th, 2008 at 11:37 pm