The Daily Spin, May 31
The Altogether | Fences
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
If you want to suggest an album, good news! You can do so right here!
Album: Fences (2022)
Artist: The Altogether
Link:
This is an ambling collection of indie songs, comfortable and never overbearing, the sort of music that floats along without a whole lot of drive, rather floating, gently nudged from one step to the next.
I’ve been a fan of the Altogether since the Brian David Gilbert days, back when all they had was what they could scrounge up from their music department at Johns Hopkins, two undergrads just having fun with it, and though Gilbert has since stepped away from the group to pursue his blossoming career as an internet personality, there’s still some of that charm in this album.
At its best, this feels like a Paper Kites or Gregory Alan Isakov release, strong guitars holding tone over dreamy arrangements, just enough heft to them to buoy poetic lyrics waxing freely over soft topics. The acoustic touches in the production of this album give it a great deal of oomph, especially since there are definitely points where this feels like the deeply indie production that it is. There’s not really a whole lot of faulting them in this regard, but it’s something that has to be acknowledged.
As far as indie folk goes, this is a pretty strong effort - for a group this small and unknown, it carries the feeling of something much greater. If nothing else, it’s a sign of the heights achievable.
Rating: 7.9/10
Best Tracks: Spinning (The Saucer); Background Noise; Sweet Ida
Worst Tracks: Just for Fun 3; Ben Gunn