Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Midday Show host Cheryl Waters, is “Follow Closely” by Hush Arbors from their 2008 self-titled album on Ecstatic Peace.
Hush Arbors is the working name for Keith Woods, a man of many talents involving guitars. Woods has been making music influenced by classic psychedelia, old-tyme folk, and big rock riffs from many-a years; mining the same territory as peers James Jackson Toth (Wooden Wand) and Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance). “Follow Closely” combines these essential ingredients into a metaphysical musical blender set on pulsate. Woods is careful not to bombard first time listeners with this radio-friendly track housing the softer side of Hush Arbors. But so it goes on Woods’ first proper album via Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace. Hush Arbors is a pantry stacked with goodies: mushrooms, lollipops, tobacco, and jerky. Hush Arbors feeds on this sustenance to channel the early days of Haight & Asbury, to conjure the ghosts of Father Yod and to fixate on the fragility of Tim Buckley or the wanderlust of Woody Guthrie. Woods creates a decoupage of road songs like weary travelers collect empty Red Bull cans and energy bar wrappers in the backseat on a long drive to a destination that never rises to meet expectations. Hush Arbors — band and album — are all about the journey and making sure your belly is always full on the long haul.
Hush Arbors are currently taking a break from the road, as evident by a lack of tour dates on his MySpace page. We shall not leave you with your bowl empty as we’re happy to give you some “Water”:
2 Comments
The website link goes to a hard core porn site
Yikes! They got hacked! The link is gone now. Thanks for the heads up.