Review Summary: Is psychedelic folk a genre?
Solo projects can be a great thing for a musician, or a complete failure. Many times, a solo project of a successful artist will either be similar to the work in the main band, or be completely different. In either case, the music is a direct extension of the musician, unlike in a band setting, where many different ideas from different people are coming together to form a cohesive idea. Toronto based artist Chad Ross, formally of soul/folk band The Deadly Snakes, and currently a member of progressive psych band Quest For Fire, goes under the moniker Nordic Nomadic in his solo project. Ross creates a mixture of the folk found in The Deadly Snakes and the psychedelic aspect later found in Quest For Fire, creating a sound all his own. Nordic Nomadic can be most compared to fellow Canadian psych rockers Black Mountain, but Ross still maintains a sound that is very much his own.
The self titled debut from Nordic Nomadic is a breath of fresh air in the cluttered music scene of the post-2000s. With so many bands trying to play faster and better than one another, Nordic Nomadic takes a chilled out, laid back approach. Ross sings out his vocals in a soothing whisper that is hard not to like. Ross' playing is just as soothing as his voice. 6 and 12 string guitar, keys and percussion are all handled by Ross, while drum duty goes to Paul Vernon. Ross has mastered acoustic and electric guitar playing, crafting beautiful finger picked acoustic riffs that fill each of the tracks and effect dowsed electric guitar that swims around the tracks keeping things interesting. When Vernon appears on drums the tracks burst to life. Booming tribal beats and quick gallops smash out of Vernon's kit, always creating a stir in the slow climate of Ross' songs. The keys and percussion (bongos and tambourine being the most common) provided by Ross are excellent as well, and are generally used to add to the dark mood of the album.
"My mind won't let me stay/My legs wont let me get away/But I'll be there when i can/Cuz i am the world's slowest man", Ross sings out in the lead track 'World's Slowest Man'. While this is not the world's slowest album, all of the songs have a slow and moody vibe to them. Tracks like 'The World's Slowest Man', 'Living Arrangements', and 'The Weather in Your Mind' all focus on Ross' acoustic riffs and sideways electric guitar playing, with his consoling lyrics and vocals carrying the song along. Going with the idea that whispers will be listened to closer than yelling, the soft songs will draw the listener in and make them give their full attention to the song. This is not background music or something that can be half listened to. Aside from the typical vocal and acoustic driven songs on the album, Ross includes two instrumental tracks 'Elk Horn Pyramid' and 'NXNX'. Unfortunately, they do not justify their (albeit short) length by being overly repetitive, dragging the album down slightly. Standout tracks such as the beautiful all acoustic piece 'Grey', and bright closer 'Clouds That Spell My Name', more than make up for the shortcomings of the album.
An excellent debut from a criminally overlooked artist, [i]Nordic Nomadic[i] is an excellent piece of music. Hitting the sweet spot of 45 minutes run time, this album is a highly replayable easy listen. While Ross did not completely change his style on his solo debut, he did mix his past band with ideas that would show up in his next band perfectly. Chilled out psych folk is not a genre that is highly populated, but
Nordic Nomadic deserves a place among the top albums in the genre. Whether you enjoy folk, psych, or just laid back music, Nordic Nomadic is worth a listen.
