State River Widening - Desertesque (for Hessen) 7"
(Beau Rivage)
State River Widening's new 7" on German imprint Beau Rivage is a bit of
a departure for the band, basing the songs more on electric piano, vibes,
and organ than their usual acoustic guitars, but the foundations of their
sound--as the band calls it, "organic-mechanical"--remains the same.
The A-side, "Desertesque (for Hessen)," started its life as an homage to the
German group Hessen. The song features marimba and vibes playing
tight, compact melodies, backed by a three-note dub-like bass. Given the
title, it is obvious what imagery the song invokes. The B-side, "Radio
Valkyrie," is much more atmospheric piece, using both organ and electric
piano. The music here is as good as the best tracks on the band's
self-titled
debut, despite its academic foundations, giving a very light, agreeable pop
sound.
Possibly overshadowing the music though is the packaging and concept behind
the single. The packaging is a matchbook-style cover with golden print
using artwork by Louise Clark (also responsible for other State River
Widening art). Inside the package, there is also a hand-done drawing of a
ski-lift in colored pencil, signed and numbered by Clark, featuring prominetly
the band's three pedal flower logo. To complete the concept,
12 ski-lift images were made for the release, in 6 pairs of 2. All singles
were numbered, so someone else in the world has bought this single with the
companion artwork to your purchase, the image of the other half of the pair
with the same number. By writing to the
label, you can request the contact information of your State River
single soulmate!
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