What is America? This question has been posed by sociologists and comedians with varying degrees of seriousness and sarcasm for decades. With such a large, diverse population, it can be hard to see a unifying concept beyond the English language. However, music and culture often bridge these gaps. South Carolina native and Brooklyn resident Jay Sanford writes the kind of apple-pie Americana-tinted folk-rock songs that inspire a sunny feeling as their melodies hook you and make you feel OK about the current state of affairs, whether political or spiritual.
Sometimes, the best way to espace is to dream. Sanford:’s recent second album, Extinguished Dreams, provides the means to stimulate the brain’s default mode network as it opens with the energetic riff of “April 3, 1974” before featuring characters disillusioned with the dreams they’ve been sold. “Look out Loretta” exemplifies the fraternal spirit of these songs, with its pedal steel backing up Sanford’s saloon-room drawls. An underlying theme of resilience runs through the album. Sanford:, who curiously stylizes his stage name with a colon, does everything himself, from writing to production. As is often the case with self-produced songwriters, the rustic aesthetic doesn’t always serve the songs’ best interests. For example, the otherwise snappy and mellifluous “Carolina’s Better” could’ve been more effective with another pair of ears on the mix; the double-tracked vocals and acoustic guitars seem to battle for space.
Several collaborators contribute to this album, including Wayne Tucker on trumpet, Andrew Gould on tenor saxophone, and Brent Chiarello on trombone. Their instruments shine on one of the album’s highlights, “The Way Out,” with its soulful arrangement and fun chorus line. Other high points include the dreamy “Sunrise” with its experimental electronic flair, the instrumental moxie of “The Cotton Hill Memorial Barbecue,” and the delectably dark “The Link.”
The album culminates with “Resonance Cascade,” a nine-minute southern rock peregrination that elaborates on resilience (“Though things seem out of place, all will go on.”) before entering psychedelic territory with transportive bass lines and guitar riffs that seem to connect to a higher plane. The cover art for this release, realized by Paulina Zelik, is fittingly dreamlike.
Whether or not the American dream is still alive is up for debate. However, on Extinguished Dreams, Sanford: operates within American songwriting traditions to assure us that everything will be okay, one catchy platitude at a time.
★★★½