In December last year, when Shakey Graves dropped the details of his new album it was clear change was coming. From the opening of ‘Counting Sheep’, it’s easy to hear that the powers of reinvention have been at play over the past three years. While previous releases have had that country back porch, foot stompin’ brand of country-folk, Can’t Wake Up is anything but.
Waves of reverb flush over guitar lines throughout the opening half of this record, and no matter how much I tried, I kept thinking that I was listening to an M Ward or Bahamas record. That isn’t bad by any stretch, just unexpected. Going into listening to this album, I was expecting to hear a little foot stomping banjo that adorned his 2014 breakthrough album When The War Came, yet that “old sound” is nowhere to be found.
At first, it was a little disappointing to not hear that familiar twang, but then again, Graves couldn’t release endless albums of banjo music. With a heavy pop, partial commercial glimmer, these songs tick along in a release that is suitable for a dinner party soundtrack and one to pop on Sunday afternoon as the sun cascades through your window.
7
