Storm the Station – Summertime Kids (Free Download / Buy)
Know – Summertime Kids (Free Download / Buy)
With the warming of the air and the lengthening of the days comes a lifting of the mood in the music I find myself listening to. When Florida-based artist Nick Roberts sent me over his most recent project, Summertime Kids, I took one full listen before calling him to express just how thankful I am for this stunning six-song EP.
Tables Manners isn’t long, roughly 18 minutes, but during the short amount of time it takes to listen, Roberts paints a landscape of a sunrise jog down the beaches of the Florida shore. Instead of using words as the primary vessel for his thoughts, Roberts utilizes wailing guitar chords, humming harmonica, and a striking desolate percussive arrangement. With “JV”, it’s as if Nick Drake’s ghost has possessed Roberts; the passion in his guitar, each pluck perfectly calculated, layers of the track constantly being laid and peeled away.
The same goes for “Know”, a song that welcomes Roberts’ delicate vocals, and highlights the whining of steel guitar. While I first questioned why he didn’t explore his vocals more on this album, the instrumental “Storm the Station” provided the proof. The stuff’s not complicated, it’s not as if it hasn’t been done before, and yet, it doesn’t have to be new to the world to feel new to me. The burning enthusiasm found in these six beautifully arranged songs is an encapsulating experience that screams the first days of Spring.
