BLIGHT FOLK
“The Fitzgerald”
Richmond Fontaine
El Cortez
This record is close to perfection, which is curious given its tragic subjects: the miserable types living in the shadows of casinos in the Biggest Little City in the World, Reno.
Singer/guitarist Will Vlautin hails from Reno, and his band wrote this record while holed up in a room at Reno’s Fitzgerald hotel. It’s not quite “Leaving Las Vegas.” Rather it’s a sweet meditation on the secondary citizens of Nevada’s secondary city.
“Casino lights, they only bring darkness to the night,” sings Vlautin, giving you a clear idea where he’s coming from. But regardless of its bloody, blackened tone, “The Fitzgerald” is still an easy listen. The songs of this 10-year-old band have always told intensely personal stories, but these are perhaps the most haunting, thanks in part to the unsettling level of familiarity with which they write.
– Ricardo Baca
INDIE ROCK
“Songs We Sing”
Matt Costa
Venerable Media
This former skateboarder draws on every genre in the book on this full-length debut penned while he recovered from a severe leg injury. The album opener, “Yellow Taxicab,” showcases a 22-year-old’s light-hearted innocence. The tune successfully sheds the songwriting shackles that limit some guitar-strumming storytellers by weaving in airy keyboards and sinewy, country string segments.
Costa’s penchant for surfer ballads is territory already pillaged by Jack Johnson and the least appealing on this CD. Even with well-crafted lyrics, acoustic-driven songs like “Astair” and “Desire’s Only Fling” fail to engage the listener as much as more upbeat offerings. Standouts include the indie-pop track “Cold December” and the ska-sounding drinking song “Whiskey & Wine.”
Matt Costa opens for Jack Johnson on Aug. 24 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
– Elana Ashanti Jefferson
