John Calvin Abney is a songwriting force. As evidenced by his new EP Shortwaving – on which he asks “what do you do when communication seems to be losing its ability to reach people?” – he pushes his way through an existential crisis. Sending questions and lamentations into the cosmos don’t seem to be doing the trick, leaving him drained and exasperated by the silence. In turn, he put pen to paper to express this soul-crushing give and take.
“Arkansas River Bridge,” among the set’s most striking compositions, emerges as a downtrodden piece of musical excellence. Abney’s voice weeps with enormous teardrops, splashing across his acoustic guitar. There’s little else in the production, a sparseness that allows the musician to send cries straight up into the moon’s silver glow.
Via Spotify, Abney’s collection is best described as “a haunting set of country-rock laments, descended from classic end-of-the-party albums like Neil Young’s ‘On The Beach’ and Jason Molina’s ‘Magnolia Electric Co.'” And that’s exactly what you experience. The songs ebb and flow, an eeriness wafting up from their fragile backbones and leaving bruises and scars along the way.
Listen to “Arkansas River Bridge” below.
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