Ryley transitioned slowly into the finger-style artist we know today in 20, still opening for synth nerds in basement venues, but growing by leaps and bounds in virtuosity. A few years of wasted finger-bleeding basement shows variably under the names Heatdeath and Wyoming (with requisite cassette-only releases) firmly established his name locally, if not always positively. Things start to pick up for young Walker when he moves to Chicago in 2007 and briefly attempts a collegiate lifestyle as he storms the always fecund local noise scene with his Jasmine-brand electric guitar just a cheap knock-off from which he could coax unearthly sound hallucinations. Raised on the banks of the ol’ Rock River in northern Illinois, Ryley’s early life doesn’t give us much more than Midwestern mundanity to speak of. His personal life might be tumultuous and his residential status in question, but his bedrock is disciplined daily rehearsal and an inexhaustible wellspring of songcraft. Swap out rural juke joints for rotted DIY spaces and the archetype is solidly intact. That’s as much a testament to his roving, rambling ways, or the fact that his Guild D-35 guitar has endured a few stints in the pawnshop. It’s hard not to feel this album is at times, derivative, but it’s a perfect evocation of a period of time, and one of the lovelier albums released in 2015.Ryley Walker is the reincarnation of the true American guitar player. Closing track Hide In The Roses is almost apologetic in comparison to the previous nine tracks, a brief, sparse acoustic lament. The reference point here is very much Nick Drake, Walker sounds in control, comfortable yet world-weary. Towards the end of the album things relax a little with the string-accompanied The High Road. Later, All Kinds Of You infuses the Martyn-feel with an almost Doors-like broodiness. The lengthy, intense Sweet Satisfaction has John Martyn at its core, from the plucked guitar to the slurred vocal and it’s the closest this album comes to outright homage, Walker even singing “I’d rather be the de-ye-ye-ye-vil”, while guitar squalls are tossed about liberally. On The Banks of the Old Kishwaukee is almost a perfect distillation of the influences on this album, equal teaspoons of Buckley, Drake and Martyn, but it’s impossible to argue with it when it, like the rest of the album is rendered so well. On instrumental tracks like Griffiths Bucks Blues, Walker gets the chance to really stretch out on guitar with some impossibly complex twists and turns. Same Minds has some of the grace associated with John Martyn’s early seventies material, the presence of Jason Adasiewicz on vibes lending authenticity to this and the simmering workout of Love Can Be Cruel. Others might use words like ‘freeform’ and ‘groovy’, but the track itself has the feel of Tim Buckley’s Happy Sad album. This will divide the listener, some might call it self-indulgence. Second track in, the jazzy Summer Dress, sees Walker cast off any inhibitions with a hyperactive vocal, singing all over a fairly simple groove. The title track, which opens the album sounds like a perfect fusion of Tim Buckley and Nick Drake, all pretty instrumentation, loose rhythm and Walker’s slurry, Buckley-esque vocals. The photography and even the font on the album cover has a retro feel, as if it belongs to another time. Ryley Walker – Primrose Green – Album Review by Killian LaherĪmerican guitarist Ryley Walker takes the listener on a trip back to the halcyon days of the late 60s/early 70s singer-songwriter era with his second album Primrose Green.
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