Album Review: Preston Graves Stuttgart Is Musical Bourbon
I love rock n’ roll, particularly psychedelia. Yet, every once awhile, some good ol’ country- hard rock seeps into my atmosphere. Enter Preston Graves to serve me a little bit of both.
Graves walked away from the music industry 16 years ago and has been building houses by day and making over 800 songs by night. Yeah! Yet, something about time and constructing the spaces that will hold others’ lives and stories moved Graves to create a 6 track album that is full of heart and details that only a home can contain. Stuttgart is a layered, welcoming experience with each song feeling like a disticnt room carrying a different layer of his spirt. Thus, the magnificence of Graves’ welcomed return is that it is all encompassing of his talent and life-nurturing wisdom.
Graves’ dedication and love for his own creativity was bound to make Stuttgart an amazing record. While living in solitude in Texas, Graves wrote and composed this record to capture the inner workings of his heart and mind. When withdrawn from the world around, one can truly confront the world he or she carried within him or her. The notion, like his music, is completely relatable, and makes this album carry a sense of valiancy, Not many artists take their time to make music, but even less take their time to analyze themselves as musicians. Thus, the rocker edges and scrapes this record provides in frequency, blends well with the raw openness of Graves’ vocals and words. It makes the album sound like it is a man healing from the hits he has taken. Hence, why as titled, the entire album goes down like a musical bourbon.
Like the drink, Stuttgart goes down smoothly but with a kick. Whether you gulp it down to leave yourself in a daze or drink it slow to savor its taste, this album is a musical bourbon that you will pick up again and again. It is simply that good.
Track By Track Review:
Vampire Liars & House Spiders: an oddly “beachy” track that crashes upon your ears with darkly waved lyrics and an a scintillating, electric guitar melody.
Bones To Your Homes: my favorite track. The kickdrum drives a hypnotic hook that will make feel like you are Alice falling into Wonderland. Graves’ voice is charming as it has a slight, funkadelic drawl to its annotations.
Fantastic Light: a psychedelic, sonic vortex that proves why the guitar is the heart of rock n’ roll.
Trumped Up Buttercup: Graves’ voice shines with its softly burdened undertones as he sings to a woman whose sweetness has been tainted by sour mistakes.
Choose Your Weapon: definitely one of the more playful tracks, this song feels like a radio hit from its beginning,
Tiger In A Machine: sweetly folksy, this songs enters your ears like a refreshing, gust of wind in a hot, Texan day.
For more information on Preston Graves and Stuttgart Click Here.
