Albums

Adam Gnade - The Wild Homesick

Craig Broad 28/06/2009

Rating: 3.5/5

Any self respecting music fan or creative person alike would find something to admire about California-born musician Adam Gnade. While many artists are happy to release an album every two or three years with the occasional tour in-between, anyone that knows of Gnade, will know that his career thus far, has been filled with the constant release of albums, eps and books alongside a constant touring both of his native US and internationally. 2009 sees the release of his latest ep, The Wild Homesick which has been independently designed and released on Punch Drunk Tapes and follows many small cassette and tour only ep releases.

Gnade is commonly known for his knack of mixing folk, country and blue grass along his strongly spoken social commentary and The Wild Homesick doesn't differ from this.

Any previous listener of Gnades work will know that he is not an easy listen, he will never be a Britney Spears or Madonna, filling up the charts with annoyingly catchy sing-a-long hooks but that his craft lies in the subtleties that can only be gained through the use of headphones and continuous listens. And Their Wheels as a Whirlwind is a great example of this and a testament of what Adam Gnade is about, a shining example for writers and musicians alike, claiming that we should not be content in just succumbing to a 9-5 job, that it is infact okay to adventure and feel alive. The Wild Homesick is littered with great stories hippy-like views and sentiments that are easy to admire but the standout track comes from the upbeat Bright Eyes-esque campfire sing-song of I Will Put Away My Pain and Be a Beacon that brings a sense of urgency and fun that we perhaps haven't seen from Gnade before...a sense of things to come, I sure do hope so.

Honey Slides, Gnades collaboration with Youthmovies is easily his best work to date, mixing his lyric penning nous with Youthmovies knack for indie pop and while The Wild Homesick cannot be compared to this, you get a sense from I Will Put Away My Pain... that perhaps Gnade has learnt a thing or two from Youthmovies and that his best material is still yet to come. The Wild Homesick isn't flawless but it isn't meant to be, what it is however, is honest, endearing and well worth giving a listening chance.