The Scarlet Goodbye – El Camino Adios
This showcase, according to its press, is a collaborative effort produced by Minnesota musicians Jeff Arundel (acoustic guitar/organ/vocal) with additional production by Daniel Murphy (ex-Soul Asylum & Golden Smog on electric guitar/vocal). The vocals on the opening tune “To Feel the Sun” are sung vigorously in unison to good effect.
The 10 tunes that are shaped for El Camino Adios (Drops March 14/Virgin/Angel Dust Records/The Label Group/36:56) have a varied attraction. “The Last Time” has guitar contours balanced on a steady thudding drum beat & more unison vocals which create a single voice at times that’s dramatic.
However, when Murphy & Arundel sing their individual lines the sound instead of being progressive like Tony Carey’s Planet P (“Pink World” LP) sounds closer to the harmonic blend of Lowen & Navarro (“Cry”). So, what do we have here? Progressive rock-folk?
The set’s theme is a mythical town where the musicians capture the essence of everyday comings & goings, daily challenges, reminisces, through a folky organic yet epic soundscape. Some songs will nod to a more nostalgic presentation with an atmospheric mainstream rock flair. To hippie ears, The Grass Roots’ early ‘70s hit “Temptation Eyes,” is covered & it’s soulfully reflective & fits. In this arrangement, the song doesn’t seethe with pop ambition but sounds tighter & more precise as a song. Isn’t music a wonderful thing? It’s like a phantom.
Some selections may have stayed in the womb too long. They’re heavily developed into a commercialized-mainstream pop vein although performed with excellence. With a beautiful chorale (“Raylene”), it is impressive, but will this climb today’s charts? I can give this a passing grade for sound & effort, but the probability of chart success is questionable.
Then a slide into a more Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young vocal idiom with the fairly good Euro-melody “Sad Burlesque” played impressively with accordion & guitar. In lesser hands this would be laughable, but Murphy & Arundel make it sound superior to most late career CSN&Y. “Three On a Match” is an instrumental but probably the highlight of the album. Hauntingly beautiful. Followed by the catchy “Great Again” that begins to take shape into a more original sound. The Euro-melodic tease is evident again, but this is almost imaginatively Beatlesque. This is a good pairing.
There’s warmth in this collection without sacrificing the wildness.
Highlights – “To Feel the Sun,” “The Last Time,” “Temptation Eyes,” “Sad Burlesque,” “Three On a Match,” “Great Again” & “El Camino Adios.”
Musicians – Pat Nelson (bass/bgv), Pat Frederick (piano/bgv), Ben Peterson (drums) & Billy Oerhlein (tambourine) with Steve Gorman, Jeff Victor, Michael Nelson, Rob Arthur, See Change Treble Choir.
B&W image with Jeff on left & Daniel on right courtesy of their website/Contributed/Artists. CD at https://thescarletgoodbye.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: The Scarlet Goodbye “El Camino Adios”
