Toil And Trouble

“Toil And Trouble” Angelo De Augustine
Ethereal, often acoustic indie folk from the L.A.-based artist and singer-songwriter. Intricate, airy and otherworldly soundscapes with a vibe that’s very similar to Sufjan Stevens (whom he collaborated with on a 2021 release) or Bon Iver. This is De Augustine’s 4th solo album, and it finds him descending to the depths to explore topics such as “the madness of the world…and how overwhelming that can be.” De Augustine wrote, arranged, recorded, produced and mixed everything — creating often-fragile tracks while playing 27 different instruments — from guitar and keyboards to a glass xylophone. The lyrics are fascinating (if tortured at times), with mesmerizing music accompanying them. RIYL: Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver or Elliott Smith.
— Francis

Recommended: 2, 7, 6, 12, 3, 1, 11. No FCCs detected.

1. (3:11) Home Town — Breathy vocals over gently strummed guitar, light keyboards and shimmering synths. Lyrics recall a tragic mass shooting that occurred near where De Augustine lived. ***
2. (3:17) The Ballad Of Betty And Barney Hill — Tale of a New Hampshire couple who claimed to be abducted by a UFO. The vocals are supported by unearthly sounds created with a rare synthesizer and captured field recordings. Catchy and captivating. ****
3. (4:02) Memory Palace — Intriguing mix of Mellotron, strummed guitar, bell-like Mustel celeste piano, and falsetto vocals. Drums added near the end. ***
4. (1:22) Healing Waters — Instrumental break. Swirling water sounds with warped synth and some bells overlaid.
5. (3:12) The Painter — More traditional folk construction. Fingerpicked guitar. Rhythm consisting of scratchy muted frets. Breathy vocals.
6. (4:22) I Don’t Want To Live, I Don’t Want To Die — Stately and slow. Pristine elegance. De Augustine’s sorrowful vocals in counterpoint to swelling synths — capturing longing and despair. ****
7. (2:42) Another Universe — Unusual Japanese guitar synthesizer called a Unisynth lends itself to a more playful, lighter feeling. ****
8. (3:15) Song Of The Siren — Fingerpicked acoustic guitar triplets woven into a traditional love song. Synth is layered in at times.
9. (3:33) Blood Red Thorn — Softly shimmering psych-pop, with more fingerpicked guitar and squiggly synth tones.
10. (3:33) Naked Blade — Pensive fingerpicked guitar with somber synth plus falsetto vocals floating above. Very sad lyrics as De Augustine contemplates taking his own life.
11. (3:29) DWOMM — More uplifting and hopeful, musically and lyrically, with a hint of doubt remaining. Layers of synth, electric guitar and harp or something similar — plus some noise. I believe the acronym stands for “Doesn’t work on my machine.”
12. (2:23) Toil And Trouble — Chugging, strumming guitar. He sings through a haze, “Toil and trouble, my only delights/I don’t know where I went wrong.” A fitting conclusion to a questioning, highly introspective journey. ***