Piers Faccini / “My Wilderness” / Six Degrees Records

Male singer songwriter, mostly keeps to a smooth, smokey steady lower/mid register sometimes reminiscent of the likes of Andrew Bird, sometimes sounds like a less piercing Luke Temple in higher registers. Very gifted singer, sadly only occasionally (and discretely) shows his vocal capabilities (e.g., 2, 3). Mostly midtempo, softer folk rock songs rich with instruments and harmonies. Mixes in tribal elements (e.g., multi-layered vocal harmonies, strong drums, clapping), also weaves Middle Eastern melodies/instruments/beats pretty frequently (e.g., 2, 6, 7, 8, 13). All very agreeable sounding, some more impressive than others. Favorites include: 3, 7, 8. No FCCs detected.

Individual track reviews continued inside.



1. 3:45 Acoustic guitar, fiddle (viola?), nice vocal harmonies.
2. 4:47 Slow tempo, folk-rock meets Middle Eastern/Eastern Euro traditional music both in instrumentation (prominent trumpet, etc.) and vocal flourishes. Nice.
3. *4:01 Strong sparse piano & tambourine, slow beat. First half evokes stripped soul/gospel/blues, vocal control/quality shines here, beautiful vocal harmonies.
4. 3:53 Fingerpicked guitar riff, uptempo steady beat, repeated harmonies, clapping.
5. 4:23 More traditional midtempo folk rock. Hint of a banjo, nice vocals in chorus. Frenetic fiddle in ending.
6. 3:49 Slow dark piano beginning, naked vocals, strings. Sad feeling throughout. Occasional mix of Middle Eastern melodies.
7. *3:23 Downtempo, simple strummed guitar, light percussion, spiced up a bit with slightly Middle Eastern sounding strings, and a beautiful simple chorus.
8. *3:36 Has a gypsy music feel to it (fun beat, Beirut-esque trumpets), uptempo, though mostly Western chords in the first half.
9. 4:19 Acoustic guitar, evokes a less emotional Jeff Buckley, melancholy, slow feel.
10. 4:25 Slow strings, acoustic guitar, builds with bass a bit, then layered vocals at end.
11. 4:06 Midtempo, vocals spoken in verse, mostly guitars and strings.
12. 3:47 Slow, sad, guitar melody, gradually becomes layered with more instruments.
13. 5:57 Evokes Nick Drake. Acoustic guitar, gypsy strings and beat evident again. About 2/3 way through, breaks down to simple guitar, strings, and layered vocals.
Deniz Cebenoyan