Before The Storm

“Before the Storm” Split Screens
Indie psych-rock and psych-folk from talented, local, multi-instrumentalist, Jesse Cafiero. Cafiero plays guitar, lap steel guitar, bass, keyboards, and Autoharp — while composing all the songs and singing lead vocals. So, he’s quite capable of sounding like a band by himself. But for this album, he assembled a talented group that includes an additional guitarist, keyboard player, a number of guest players, and Rory O’Connor of Tycho on the drums and organ. A really solid album.
— Francis

Recommended: 1, 8, 5, 10, 9, 6. No FCCs detected.

1. (3:30) Stand Alone — Sprawling, airy, folk-rock. Pulsing organ. Light rat-a-tat rhythm. Moaning lap steel guitar. Great! ****
2. (3:35) All I See — Soulful strut, with a stop-and-go rhythm. Angular guitar. Smooth vocals like Autumn Defense.
3. (3:37) No More Sound — Laid-back rock groove. Strong bass line, light keys and repeated lines of distinctively picked guitar.
4. (4:10) Close Your Eyes — Lap steel guitar prominent. Brushes on drums. Skating along next to a beach on a summer day.
5. (4:31) I Will Never Know — Great mix of jangly, reverb-y guitar and crying lap steel. Softly tripping keyboards. Could be an electric psych-rock ballad out of the 1970s. ***
6. (3:30) Mirrors in the Maze — Piano. Bongos come and go. Lap steel guitar. Sitar. Slightly breathless, dramatic vocals. **
7. (1:50) Before the Storm — Instrumental. Sitar. Lap steel. Far out, man!
8. (3:46) Home — Fun! Funky, brass-driven rock. Arranged like a Van Morrison song, but with vocals that are reminiscent of Jack Johnson. ***
9. (3:42) Back and Forth — Softer. Fingerpicked electric guitar. Spare vocals. Light, shimmering keyboards. Builds to add some distorted guitars and backwards music at the end. Reminds me of The Sea and Cake. **
10. (4:29) The Sinner — Up-tempo folk-rock romp. Jangly guitars over a crisp rhythm track. Sustained organ chords are added, and there’s a strong guitar solo in the lead break. ***
11. (5:18) Time to Wait — Floating, dreamlike. Glistening keyboards punctuated by occasional guitar attacks. Very cool, distorted keyboard solo in long lead break. Reminiscent of Pink Floyd.