Despite his utilization of charmingly lo-fi drum machine beats, Trevor Dickson's thoughts are clearly turned back to the '60s, to baroque folk rock bands like the Left Banke, the Kinks, the Hollies, and Zombies, just to name a few. The inimitable frontman of synth-pop band the Nightgowns and psychedelic-mish-mash band the Elephants has emerged with the Summer Legs solo EP as a harmony-driven troubadour.
As usual, Dickson's distinctive croon is still a defining characteristic, as well as his swooning and silly lyrics, calling to mind similarly melodic eccentrics like Harry Nilsson and the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt. Through Summer Legs, Dickson has established himself as a consummate singer-songwriter, brought to bear in vivid relief by the bedroom pop nature of the album. Once more, Dickson proves himself to be as reliably consistent as he is pleasantly unexpected.
The title track is instantly immersive, bringing you into Trevor Dickson's world of sun-drenched afternoons spent leisurely drifting in cars and boats in a dreamy haze. “Carry the Stone” is classic Trevor Dickson—a Magnetic Fields-esque song of heartache and escape, which segues nicely into the woozy organs of the brief, affecting “John, You're Hairy.” As an album closer, you couldn't ask for more than the joyous “Oh My One,” whose boisterous percussion and hysterical handclaps lend light and levity to the albums last moments.
With Summer Legs, Trevor Dickson has entered new territory while remaining uncompromisingly himself—much to everyone's delight.
-Rev Adam McKinney
credits
released June 21, 2013
All songs written by Trevor Dickson
Recorded + mixed by Tyson Griffin
Mastered by Jeff Southard & Tyson Griffin
"Summer Legs" features Spencer Kelley on guitar & Travis Visscher on drums
"John, You're Hairy" features Simon Hannes on clarinet
"Oh My One" features Kyle Brunette on percussion
One of best albums of 2020, and it's criminal how underheard it is. Incredibly creative and unique, Trevor seems to be saying that it's hard not to be jaded with the way the world holds us down, but he answers with a mighty shrug of hope or indifference - it can be hard to tell which it is at the end of your rope. An outstanding set of last-call-songs. Ross Weidman
This is the second in a series of weekly album reviews published by Andrew Dubber. If you haven’t already caught it, please check out his introductory post. The world appears to be littered with bearded young men with acoustic guitars and notebooks full of verse, access to old pianos, and mournful string players. Few have … Continue reading Album of the Week: Fire on the Vine → Bandcamp Album of the Day Nov 6, 2011