Emergency Exit Survey: Sad Bird- Graycie York
This post comes out of nowhere same as the brand new EP we all rave about
OK, this is wildly unusual, but the times call for it. I was going to start work on a discussion of the use of steel guitar in modern pop-country. There is an interesting production tactic taking hold in some recent pop-country material where they use shimmery steel as an atmospheric technique. As modern pop shifts from the beat driven oughts and early teens to a more synth based atmospheric sound, it will be interesting to see the incorporation and adaptation of atmospheric production into the cutting edge of pop based country. I have my doubts about the overall result, but there have been some interesting usages of steel guitar specifically in this atmospheric context that piqued my interest.
That all will have to wait for another day because we have ourselves a rare and momentous occasion. Graycie York dropped a four song acoustic EP on Friday the 18th (kinda, there was an issue with Spotify and it went up later in the week) and we absolutely must talk about it. Joining me in this emergency exit survey are contributors and friends of the blog. This format is inspired by TheRinger.com and their (Music, Movies etc.) exit surveys so the format may feel similar. Hopefully, we can put a unique Today I Heard spin on it.
Joining us today is Burd (from the Burd Bites), Tristen (he wrote a wonderful piece about Charles Wesley Godwin a few months ago) and some mutual friends of ours, Gid and Nathan.
Spoiler alert: We all really liked this. Another step towards the transformation of Today I heard into a Graycie York fan club has been taken.
Welcome! I’m super hyped about this project. When I saw on Graycie’s Twitter page that she was going to drop an EP on us, I flipped out. I think my excitement rubbed off a little on you guys. I have been bugging most of you to listen to her music for ages now and it seems this EP finally pushed you guys to give Graycie a shot. Let’s get into it!
Give me one word you would use to describe Sad Bird:
Nathan- Sadness
Gid- Lilting
Tristen- Lonely
Burd- Melancholy
Joe- Beautiful
Post your tweet length review of Sad Bird:
Nathan- Mostly smooth, even sometimes a little jagged acoustic production. There’s a lot of sadness and heartbreak coursing through this EP.
Gid- Extremely well balanced acoustic production, very minimal but just enough. Manages to have a full sound with just a voice and a guitar. Beautifully sad.
Tristen- A beautiful collection with painful imagery and wonderful use of instrumentation and style
Burd- Beautifully acoustic with some of the smoothest vocals I’ve ever heard. A super consistent and tightly focused EP.
Joe- I told you so. You may have joked about my hype for this project and now here we are making an emergency roundtable post about it. So basically, it’s good. Like really freaking good.
Were there any unexpected moments or surprises for you?
Nathan- The vocal showcase really stood out.
Gid- Not really. I hadn’t heard anything Graycie has put out before.
Tristen- To be honest the whole thing was a surprise. You’ll see what I mean soon.
Joe- I didn’t expect an acoustic EP. These days, it feels like acoustic releases are gimmicks for streams. To see an artist properly commit to one was a nice surprise. To have it turn out like this is an exceptional surprise. I usually don’t like my music stripped down, but it really worked here.
How does this compare with anything Graycie York has put out that you’ve heard in the past? Did it change your conception of her as an artist?
Nathan- Only previous one I’ve heard was Texas Rain which granted was great. This was a big step up though. Better quality with less production which is the mark of really great music.
Gid- Well this convinced me to give her a listen. It’s getting me hyped for that.
Tristen- Graycie York improves with every song she releases. She learns how to play to her strengths and builds up where she wasn't as effective. Compare the vocals here to Patsy Kind of Night (early 2020) and you see a stark contrast. Like yeah, she was always wonderful, but this is so much better. It's almost hard to believe that she's the same person. Also, the style on this is so different from everything else, it's really interesting.
Burd- I’ve heard a couple of her songs. Only other solo song was Texas rain. That had a nice Texas country rock edge to it. This is much smoother and more suited to her vocal style I’d say.
Joe- I’m speechless. I am the guy from our little group who really evangelized Graycie York’s music. There’s been some great stuff before that I really enjoyed. I would’ve been happy with more of the same. Sad Bird revealed a whole new side of artistry to her and I am all for it.
Favorite Song:
Nathan- Honey Tell Me.
Gid- Just Another Night
Tristen- Honey Tell me
Burd- Sad Bird
Joe- Sad Bird
Does Graycie York remind you of any other singer?
Nathan- Maybe Caitlyn Smith a little. A vague resemblance, but that’s all I got.
Gid- There is a tinge of Brandi Carlisle in her voice.
Tristen- Adele. Specifically with the strength in her delivery and the glissandos and extended phrase endings. Of course, she doesn't soar through it all like Adele does, but she does really well with this vocal style.
Burd- To be honest, Tristen isn’t that far off on the Adele comp. I hear a little resemblance to some of Adele’s acoustic live stuff. You know, when she takes off 10-15% of the belting and softens up her tone a bit.
Joe- So Amy Winehouse and Zach Bryan had a kid…. just joking. I really can’t think of anyone at the moment. That’s high praise. It means that Graycie brought something unique to the table that I have no immediate frame of comparison. Rare and unusual. Of course, I’m more acquainted with her music then the others here so that plays a role. When you first come across something, mentally you look to categorize it in the big filing cabinet of your brain. I guess she already has her own folder up in my mental catalogue.
Favorite Lyric:
Nathan- “You’ve got a lot of walls built up/ When you’re ready, I wanna take them down.” - Honey Tell Me .
Tristen- "Honey, tell me how you feel/ ‘Cause I can't tell if this is real."- Honey, Tell Me.
Simple, elegant, and painful all wrapped up in one.
Joe- “I’m gonna let my sad bird sing for a little while”- Sad Bird.
Hearing this line in the opening track just really sets the emotional tone and provides a strong introduction to the whole project. It’s super effective. Chill inducing, if I’m being real with you guys.
General Thoughts:
Nathan- There’s definitely a common theme of unhappiness and heartbreak, which is personally my favorite type of music. I love slow and sad songs that legitimately tug at your heartstrings. Fully acoustic is never really my thing, but Sad Bird is a beautiful EP accompanied by an astounding vocal showcase. Lyrics are pretty simple, but I think it works well in this instance.
Gid- Very much my speed. I tend to not like the smoother acoustic style, but rather prefer the more grittier raw sound. This struck a great middle ground. Really liked it. The writing was plainspoken, but clear and impactful.
Tristen- I absolutely love it. I’ve listened to it for over 2.5 hours total in the last few days. Definitely on its way to being my favorite project of the year (we're a little early to call that, but it's winning so far)
Burd- I loved it, 9/10, I would like more of this, please and thank you.
Joe- Heartwrenching. Masterful. Gorgeous. A thesaurus full of adjectives couldn’t fully get my thoughts across. I have not been this blown away with the raw emotion displayed in a piece of music since the Sam Williams album last year. Brutally raw emotion just encapsulated perfectly into songwriting and music.
Lastly, the question I always ask myself when an artist releases an acoustic album. Did the acoustic nature of the project help or hinder the effectiveness of the project?
Nathan- The acoustic atmosphere definitely helped to create a more raw and phenomenal experience. It may not be perfect, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. It also helped to keep the vocals surprisingly clear, without production to possibly drown them out.
Tristen- Being acoustic added a lot. Generally, I really enjoy acoustic/open songs anyway, but the vocals and guitar lines are so well suited for this.
Burd- Everything about the sound of this EP worked, the acoustics really brought out soul in her vocals that I haven’t heard from her before.
Joe- I’m not much for acoustic stuff. I usually like fuller complementary production. This however, is near perfectly assembled. Maybe some slight mournful steel or something would’ve added a touch more finesse to the songs, but the odds are that added production would end up taking away more then it would add. The choice to go acoustic genuinely worked here.
I hope you enjoyed this Emergency Exit Survey roundtable blog post thing. It is overwhelmingly positive about the entire EP. From a critical review lens, I am sure that there are elements that could be critiqued and done more effectively. I usually listen with such a lens. However, in this instance, things ended up different. For all of us, within our first or second listens, we were just overwhelmingly taken aback with the power of the project. Any critical lens was tossed out the window and we just surfed along the waves of the moment. It was a wondrous experience and we wanted to try and share that somehow. Let us know what you thought of the Exit Survey post and if you’d want to see more of them. Please give a like and share Today I Heard with a friend!
Joe