Friday 27 September 2013

Clint Michaellson: Young, American, Raw.

Music and Musicians.


The twenty-year old singer from Lawrence, Kansas, originally reminded me of Radiohead - or what they would be in a more acoustic, young, state-side sort of way. I first listened to Tricks and Charms Lullaby - a painful melody, introducing an unpolished, raw talent, that welcomed listeners to soft drums and gentle guitar. It's addictive, it's fresh, it's untainted in a way, and invites listeners to explore his earlier work: first album, My Dearest Love.

Sure enough the love songs make believe that you are star of a coming-of-age summer movie, "running through the fields... getting lost, [you] don't know what to do..."

There is a beautiful innocence in his music, and the young artist manages to effortlessly combine the notion of pure, young love with the little sad realities of life - birds flying, the seasons changing, growing older - in some very genuine-feeling tracks.

Young though he is, Michaellson is accomplished on drums, guitar and keyboard. Paired with Kansas behind the boy, and a soft-spoken tone, is it a wonder how he produces such wonderful end of summer-autumn sunset type, gentle music?

It's warm, and familiar, but at the same time, fresh and untouched. Listen to his first album, My Dearest Love, get a taste of his second album, To Be Free, and, to paraphrase Michaellson, be left needing more of his tricks and his charms.