Sean Kiely Long Live the Low
Jersey City singer-songwriter and guitarist Sean Kiely has released a new album, Long Live The Low. It blends folk and Americana with specks of jazz.
Kiely explains, “Before we went into the studio, I didn’t know how, exactly, ‘Long Live The Low’ was going to fit on the album. But after 5 takes we had a keeper, and it wound up being the centerpiece and namesake of the record. This song started as a poem in response to Theodore Roethke’s ‘Long Live The Weeds,’ which itself was a response to Gerard Manley Hopkins’ Inversnaid.’ Both seem to be about how nature will always (rightly) win against our best-laid human plans.”
Kiely is joined on Long Live The Low by a wide-ranging group of musicians. The lineup includes Bobby Hawk (Phoebe Bridgers, Bleachers), Chris Morrissey (Norah Jones, Margaret Glaspy), Bill Campbell (Andrew Bird, Kurt Rosenwinkel), Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and banjo player Kaia Kater, and backing vocalist Jean Rohe.
Kiely produced the record. Adam Brisbin mixed it, and Nate Wood mastered it at Kerseboom Mastering in Queens.
Of the nine tracks on the album, highlights include “Two Moths,” featuring Jean Rohe. A low-slung syncopated rhythm topped by light, glistening guitars and a rolling bassline gives the tune a gentle, beckoning gesture, inviting listeners inside.
The title track once again features the silky voice of Jean Rohe. A shuffling rhythm, soft and almost galloping, infuses the melody with a distinctive cadence. Lush strings add to the beauty of the tune, imbuing it with warm textures.
“Long live the weeds, bringing chaos to order / Long live the dry rot in the mansion on the hill / Long live the real under the biggest lie you ever told / Long live the low.”
A personal favorite because of its smooth country surfaces and swaying, melodic flow, “No Lie” features Latin-flavored guitars that cry, throb, and resonate with mysterious tones. Kiely’s vocals reveal delicious, whispery textures.
The closing track, “Misunderstanding,” rolls out on supple, wavering colors riding distant rumbling percussion. The mood of the song is confessional and cathartic, and at the same time resembles a trancelike dream.
“I’ve been misunderstanding / Ok, that’s a beginning / I’ve been beginning to learn how to fold / My petal gently round the bend.”
On Long Live The Low, Sean Kiely offers listeners a looser, more liberated sound, exploring the spaces between emotions.
Discover more about Sean Kiely here.