Like Dying Stars, We're Reaching Out

“Like Dying Stars, We’re Reaching Out” Runnner
First full album from L.A.-based singer-songwriter, Noah Weinman. Intriguing, airy, cerebral indie folk and baroque pop, with a hint of Americana (due to the ever-present banjo). Weinman has previously released several EPs and singles via Bandcamp. He plays almost every instrument himself, including piano, guitar, banjo, synths, and trumpet. But he did have help on the backing vocals, drums, slide guitar, and some woodwinds. The tracks are mostly melancholy and very DIY — recorded at home with many of the imperfections such as a space heater, trucks driving by or glitchy drum loops left in. RIYL: Christian Lee Hutson, Charlie Hickey, Field Medic, and spare Fleet Foxes.
— Francis

Recommended: 8, 2, 3, 5, 10, 4. FCC on Track 8 has been edited.

1. (2:32) Plexiglass — Shimmering tone runs throughout. Piano and banjo lead the simple melody, with Weinman’s fragile vocals over. Sampled conversation layered into the track at the end.
2. (2:24) I Only Sing About Food — Mid-tempo, skipping pop. Catchy melody. Prominent banjo. Synth strings. Vulnerable, self-loathing vocals. ****
3. (3:04) Bike Again — Ambling tune over strummed guitar, piano, plucked banjo, synth strings, and a sustained saxophone chord. Harmonized backing vocals swell in the chorus. Sad, lonely trumpet in the distance. ***
4. (2:25) Raincoat — Mostly strummy, but with a soundscape of synths and some piano accompaniment. Harmonized vocals in the chorus. Lyrical observations on everyday life. ***
5. (2:34) Chess With Friends — Up-tempo, hooky pop with an energetic drum track. A pandemic era track about playing online chess with friends to keep in touch during the isolation. ***
6. (2:27) Reach — Spacey and slow, with hesitant piano in a swirling soundscape.
7. (2:55) Noah Needs A Haircut — Mid-tempo. Shuffling rhythm, with rapidly picked banjo and strummy guitars.
8. (5:07) Runnning In Place At The Edge Of The Map (Radio Edit) — Grand, slow, sweeping, and epic. Crying backing vocals. Dynamic shifts as Weinman speaks of his feelings of isolation and anxiety. ****
9. (2:23) Scabpicker — Simple and strummy, with a bit of an ominous feel from the synth-based soundscape.
10. (3:20) String — Sweet and soft. Lighter and hopeful musically, but with lyrics that are a bit sad. Piano and chime-y guitar. ***
11. (0:46) NYE — Just Weinman’s vocals and a bass, with a hint of his space heater.
12. (3:21) A Map For Your Birthday — Off-kilter rhythm with banjo leading the way again. Earnest doubled vocals in an optimistic storytelling style. Synth bed builds as the song progresses. Lyrics include the album title.
13. (5:07) Runnning In Place At The Edge Of The Map (UNEDITED) — Original of Track 8, with an FCC. (F-cked). ****