Six years since their previous album Four of Arrows, Great Grandpa have not taken their
time apart for granted and have come back stronger than ever. Constantly re-defining their
sound, this quintet from Seattle is back with their new album Patience, Moonbeam. After
several years of distance due to differing chapters in their lives, Great Grandpa decided to
scrap most of what they previously recorded and started fresh, to give us a new perspective
of their momentous years apart. With this, we have ended up with an album that truly
highlights every members talent with a beautiful sound that is cohesive and whole. Patience,
Moonbeam swings smoothly through opposing sounds, giving us moments that are both
heavy yet tender, or playful yet serious, delving into both the pains and pleasures of life.
Unlike previous record Four of Arrows, this was not recorded in the restraints of a recording
studio with a producer and was created over a longer period, with each member contributing and exploring different iterations of each song. Starting with the 36 second instrumental ‘Sleep’, we’re introduced with classical orchestral sounds, letting us know this album is going to be operatic at its heart. This record is not defined by a single genre and each song flows into the next as if it is one 36 minute long song.
‘Never Rest’ highlights the previous statement perfectly, in that this is a single that takes you
on a rollercoaster. An expectedly smooth start, with stunning backings of guitar, strings and
drums, building toward a dramatic chorus where the speakers explode and then immediately
pausing for a silent, lyrical finish. Working through the other already released singles
‘Junior’, ‘Ladybug’ and ‘Doom’, we are treated to an arrangement of sounds. Some sounds
take us down an American country road for a celebration of youth and the rebelliousness
that comes with this, another is almost acid-trip like electronics with a huge sounding fun
chorus.
Other songs like 'Kiss The Dice' and 'Top Gun' have the nostalgia effect coursing through their veins, in a sepia-tone sonic slow walk home after a break up that washes over you and drags you into the world they've fostered. Penultimate track 'Ephemera' mixes things up a little, with the trip-like electronics returning but in a more relaxed, moody manner that keeps the energy groovy and almost sultry, as Great Grandpa flex their creative muscles and demonstrate their range and talent.
Finishing up the album is the only single that Great Grandpa decided to keep from their
previous recordings, ‘Kid’, and it’s perfectly slotted in its final position. With the context behind this song being members Pat and Carrie’s unfortunate pregnancy loss, it gives this album a deeply emotional core and dramatic melodic ending. There is nothing that has not been thought of thoroughly throughout this whole record and there is something for everyone when listened carefully enough. You never quite know which way the album is going to go, and that makes for a listen filled with fun, emotion and constant surprise.
Score: 8/10
Patience, Moonbeam is out on March 28th via Run For Cover Records.
Words: Laura Hughes
Photos: Great Grandpa
Comments