American Push Saw is comprised of two siblings-- a brother and a sister-- who are located half in Chicago, IL and half in Michigan’s upper peninsula. Their debut, Variable Star EP, was recorded using FL Studio. According to their explanation of where the EP was recorded, all of the production was done in their mom’s suburban Chicago home’s basement. It’s quite fitting for this release given that their sound is folk and Americana blended with the indie rock and Midwest emo sounds that were prominent around the turn of the millennium. Not only that, but since indie folk is generally spare in production, the basement setting works to Variable Star EP’s advantage.
As I could tell by the song titles, the EP’s lyrical themes are purely inspired by the beauty of nature, particularly the forest. In fact, both the six-minute-long opener “Pine Psalm” and the more succinct “Ballad of the Oak Sapling” are about trees. It’s unclear to me whether or not the lyrics are meant to be taken literally or figuratively, since there are no words posted on their Bandcamp page. Either way, the deft touches of acoustic guitar are enough to convey the wonders of the woods. The EP begins with the aforementioned “Pine Psalm.” Blissful and meditative, the guitar strums along in the key of C#, dense enough for the song itself to become a droning soundscape backed by longing vocals (“I wonder where you are…”). This is the highlight of the EP for me, personally. Then, we get a smattering of more folk rock on “Adventus.” Its dreamy layering of vocals and unplugged instruments is to be commended. “Taiga” opens up with slaps of percussion as well as a lilting guitar riff. Its solely instrumental composition is warm and inviting. “Taiga” leads into a cut named “21/Shore,” which is the one song on the EP that most closely resembles Midwest emo with its jumpy rhythm section. Judging by the titles of the last two tracks, “Ballad of the Oak Sapling” and “Sand River Bridge,” the nature themes of Variable Star EP are in full swing. The former feels melancholy overall, but the latter is much brighter and more carefree. Like “Taiga,” “Sand River Bridge” is also purely instrumental and speaks volumes for a piece that doesn’t have any words in it. To be honest, this was a project that kept me intrigued even after the first listen. There was much to unravel within every song here. Thus, I think that even people who shy away from indie folk would appreciate the natural beauty of Variable Star EP by Chicago duo, American Push Saw. Also, you can bet I’ll be coming back to it whenever I feel like chilling out to some relaxing music! Highly recommended.
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