Local Music Reviews
Bird Watcher
The Luna Sessions
Self-Released
Street: 05.23
Bird Watcher = Imbroco + The Lionelle + Kevin Devine
In the ghetto, a “Bird Watcher” means something totally different than this sonically adventurous, emotionally distraught collection of songs from these shape-shifting Ogden musicians. I would know because Cincinnati has ghettos. This collection of acoustic songs covers quite a bit of sonic and emotional ground. Bird Watcher often build their songs from a high noise floor of sustained tones and muted drones. From there, Aaron Peat’s distressed, strained falsetto soars over intricately latticed acoustic guitars and a steady rhythm section to create songs that are resonant with feelings both hopeful and hopeless, earnestly seeking and agnostic about trying. It’s a perfect collection of songs that transport you back to a time when you could feel everything, a time before age blunted empathy and honest emotional outlets became histrionics. Long live Bird Watcher. Long live youth. –Ryan Hall