Wylie Something – Picnic
Buffalo local, Wylie Something, the songwriting vehicle for musician Jacob Smolinksi, is inviting you to a BBQ of freshly grilled tunes for the soul, with an all new record titled Picnic.
For an appetizer, we’re served our first track “Feel Like Jake.” For listeners looking for a classic taste, they may find that the jam-band like vibes of this song call back to the sounds of The Grateful Dead or the bluesy swing of Bob Dylan, while more modern-day listeners might enjoy the heavy indie-psych influence. “Jake” listens like a blue sky with whisky clouds on a slow day, where the smiles are warm and drinks are iced cold. This feeling is captured perfectly in the slow swaying guitar strums, the woozy bongo blips, and Jake’s soulful baritone belting – feeling like a hazy meditation without a care in the world.
This feeling continues into track two, “Stuck Inside Memphis with the Springfield Blues Again,” like an open rush of sunshine. Whimsical lines like “Mercury is in Gatorade” and “666 on an order bag from Sheetz” call back to Pavement’s laissez-faire attitude, while bell-tone guitars chime brightly in the background. Next, Smolinski changes the mood like clouds rolling in, slowing his roll into something somber and calm on “Rainy Walk Home,” the third track of the album – it’s a perfect interlude that allows you to take a breather. The song can be best described as the feeling when you’re standing by a bonfire in the summer all on your own. As you stir in your head, you think about who you are and where your life is… A wonderfully emotional and beautiful moment sandwiched between more lighthearted offerings.
The record picks up again with the same warm jam-band vibes of the first two tracks with “Portrait at f1.8.” Although very short, the song is has an extra sweet mix of both acoustic and electric sounds and energy, perfectly capturing that DIY, “band-in-a-room” vibe… Not to mention, camera nerds such as myself may also fan over the name.
The second half of the record is notably different as we switch gears once again on songs like “Once a Fool” and “Are You All Up There?.” These two songs break away from the jangly folk rock prominent on the first half of the album, trading it in for a slow ambient indie rock. The melancholic acoustics that ring out alongside the matching ambient falsetto of the vocals brings you to sense of beautiful sadness. It’s a great juxtaposition to the heightened energy of the beginning half of the track list – like watching the sun setting over the lake and the stars trickling into the sky as Smolinski’s vocals fade into the final track.
Track nine is a surprise as it is a whopping 30 minutes in length. A thirty minute composition is impressive on its own, but Smolinski packs it with interest, adding beautiful harmonies and ukulele plucking that is reminiscent of Moby’s, Long Ambients 1 or Porter Robinson’s 2014 track “Sea Of Voices.” The title-track is certainly one you need to hear for yourself, as it ends the album on a very calm note… Finally, the picnic has come to an end.
You can find Picnic on Spotify, Apple Music, and most importantly, Bandcamp (where you can send some kind words or support via $$$). Listening at your next BBQ or get together is highly encouraged.
Categorised in: Album Reviews, Buffalo
This post was written by London Nickolai