(Two Miserable) Blackbirds is a rock track that could easily be heard at any point of time, on any type of radio station. There are hints of The Wallflowers, Spin Doctors, and even Dishwalla. The rich instrumentation of (Two Miserable) Blackbirds will immediately draw listeners in, as the band glitters and bounces along until the end. Fly Away keeps with the same introspective arrangements and allows the vocals to take the spotlight.
With each side of Feathers and Fables working on all cylinders, Nick is able to showcase the more esoteric and nuanced facets of his style during both Home and Mockingbird. The clapping, shuffling beat of Home provides a homegrown styling that will indelibly imprint itself on individuals’ hearts. One could easily hear this track issue forth from any bar or coffee shop; Peay’s beauty here comes in the sheer adoptability of the track to listeners’ lives. The four minutes of Home represent the perfect length for a Peay track.
This amount is exactly enough for Peay to make a fulfilling track, but is not long enough to make listeners’ interest fly away. Mockingbird keeps the same organic feel of Home and adds a bongo to the mix. It is a small addition, but Peay’s shift into a different style gives me hope that a full-length would present listeners with the same wide-open sound achieved by this EP. Make sure to pick up a copy of Feathers and Fables from Peay directly, check out the tracks on his Facebook, and check him out at any live dates he plays.
Top Tracks: (Two Miserable) Blackbirds, Fly Away
Rating: 8.4/10
Nick Peay – Feathers and Fables (CD EP) / 2012 Self / 4 Tracks / http://www.facebook.com/nickpeaymusic
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
Testing & Ethics: All hardware, software, and media reviews are conducted through hands-on evaluation in accordance with NeuFutur’s editorial independence standards; sponsored consideration is strictly excluded from editorial ratings.
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