Australian-born, Sweden-based Hazlett (Mitchell Hazlett Lewis) returns with a new release this month with `Goodbye To The Valley Low` EP which was recorded in an off-grid cabin on the west coast of Sweden and produced by long-time collaborator Freddy Alexander.
This six track extended play opens with `Blame the Moon` which muses on grand plans that were never fulfilled.
A delightfully tender introduction and a number that has a strummed acoustic guitar at it`s heart with vocals that are thoughtful and share a sense of gentle vulnerability. We have a variety of soundscapes that float in, around and above which adds a further poignancy to the piece. For me `Missionary Feelings` is full of sentiments of dissatisfaction and yearning and has a sense of frustration nigh on acceptance of the situation with a hint of anger bubbling beneath the surface. The harmonies at the chorus add a perception of resignation.
“Even the kind ones can break your heart, but for some reason it hurts more” is what the singer shares as the meaning behind `Mama’s Boy`. A fairly introspective reflection which draws you into its meditative web. The song picks up pace and volume in the later section before softly fading out. We all get that uneasy feeling at times of “When the going’s good and all is well it usually means there’s a strange little thought that wonders how long is it going to last” and this sentiment is precisely shared throughout the pensive `Slow Running`. A composition which has some complementing piano tones and what sounds like a string arrangement alongside a strummed guitar which really adds a further emotional ambience.
Although the title `Cemetery` might not summon up the required image, this submission is a dreamy echo on childhood and a place where pleasant youthful liaisons occurred. The song fizzles and dies out at the end as if awaking from a dream. This twenty minute release concludes with the nostalgic `Stolen Seasons` which is both upbeat lyrically and musically.
I read that Hazlett is a self-proclaimed over-thinker and his own therapist, whose music manages to find beauty in the banalities of modern life which I have to say pretty much sums him up. He cut his teeth working as a touring musician and ghostwriter-for- hire, preferring to stay behind-the- scenes and out of the limelight and his decision to step forward is justified in the complexity and beauty of this six track extended play. He has a gentle vocal delivery which at times betrays an overwhelming vulnerability and writes lyrics that i`m sure could be interpretated in numerous ways.
He released an album `Bloom Mountain` earlier this year, which passed me by for some reason, therefore I have a little catching up to do.
If you enjoy thoughtful and reflective indie folk singer-songwriters such as Elliot Smith, Foy Vance, Passenger and Matthew Jay, Hazlett and `Goodbye To The Valley Low` will be a worthy addition to your collection.
Rating 9 / 10
