Picastro...

My but it's been so long since we've seen each other. How are you? Did you get that toe looked at? I know the East Coast (and the Northeast particularly) have been rather sodden of late, but here in No Cali things continue to be rather nice. However, the inevitable winter rains are starting to rear their heads with a few showers here and there, more friendly waterings than anything but it's a reminder that the deluge will come. It's this nebulous transition time that has me listening to Picastro lately. The sound the band creaks out, which could be described as the gloomy cousin of Bill Callahan or a less fey more angry body builder Joanna Newsom, seems to fit the half cloud half sky days of late. Picastro is anchored by Liz Hysen who writes the songs and then sings them in a manner that suggests Hope Sandoval after 3 days in the desert. The band is guitars, drums and strings (cello, violin?) and plays an excellent compliment to Hysen's plaintive murmur. It sounds like a dark melancholy of sorts but the lyrics aren't really audible enough to make such an assumption true. Hysen could be singing about butterflies and first kisses. I don't know. Each song unfolds slowly, cautiously with a tension creating tentativeness. Good for the coming winter damp.

from Picastro's first album Red Your Blues on Pehr:

Fifth Wall

Mine

from 2005's Metal Cares on Polyvinyl:

Sharks

P.S. I think the new Rogue Wave album is pretty amazing.