Shawn Fogel – One Day In The Desert

Shawn Fogel – One Day In The Desert / 2007 The Sleepy West / 5 Tracks / http://www.shawnfogel.com /

The first track on “One Day In The Desert” is “The Season I Love Best”, a sunny track that rides strongly on the harmonica that opens up the song. Hell, if there was nothing else but the harmonica acting as the vocal component to the track, Fogel would have started off “One Day In The Desert” strongly. Fogel eventually enters into the mix, throwing a bass into all of the nooks and crannies that previously had not been touched by the drums and harmonica. What results is something reminiscent at points of Bright Eyes, but with a slightly happier demeanor. After Fogel’s big splash during “The Season I Love Best”, ey moves into “Leaves, Corners, Stones”.

“Leaves, Corners, Stones” is a track that eschews much of the style put forth during “The Season I Love Best”, taking on a milder interpretation of early seventies rock. It is during this track where Fogel’s vocals shine the brightest; the breakdown of the instrumentation allows eir vocals to create a harmony that is among the most infectious on the disc. Topping all of this off is a synthesizer that will immediately remind individuals of The Red Hot Valentines; all this means is that Fogel is looking incredibly strong coming into the hump track “What’s Mine Is Mine”. “What’s Mine Is Mine” is a much slower track, but Fogel is strong enough to keep the momentum high. Where the guitars do not do much beyond create a canvas for Fogel’s vocals, the resulting track shifts into gear with the smart progression that kicks in, linking guitar and harmonica once more. If I was in the desert for one day and only had one disc that I could choose to listen to, I would have to say that it would be this one. Fogel comes out of left field with one of the strongest EPs of this year.

Top Track: Dead Petals

Rating: 7.8/10