Grow Horns
"The Grass Cross"( cd)
I have always said that music reviews should read like one person talking to another in 'real talk' (or whatever the kids are calling it these days) explaining if something is good, bad or mediocre. So one Sunday morning Grow Horns solo pilot, Miles Uroshevich, contacted me via fb messenger. His question and my response ended up fulfilling about 90% of what I think that needed to be covered in a review.
Miles wrote: "Hey man, I was just wondering what you thought of The Grass Cross, like your brutally honest opinion of it"
Immediately I would address his query. Incindently, I told him my response was probably going to be worked into this review. Somehow...
My response: "Miles, firstly let me say I eventually plan on getting around to reviewing it. I only review stuff that I like... I treat THWART as a roadmap, a theme is there [with Thwart], my own path shared with words... I been in a really bad spot since Christmas... Diabetic foot ulcers, threats of amputations... I can't wear good old fashioned shoes or walk more than thru the house... Weekly wound scrapings face me every Thursday... I'm stuck inside and your CD was, and continues to be, a fresh listen. Better than your first one? Yes. Andy did a good job... You did too... About halfway through there was a 'punch'--a surprising punch. Your songs took more depth and a urgency began showing. Really, really good stuff. You are your own worse enemy many times and this agony shows in your tunes. You know this and yet you still fight... You fight yourself. It's scary but also beautiful. You have an awkward road of creation that you have nurtured-- be it as bad as it is to you-- but it's a classic example of what is needed to bring about the beauty that one can see and more importantly realized after you enter the eye of the hurricane. I know you are a genius. Andy knows you are a genius and you know you are too. Many geniuses don't ever think that but you use it to your advantage. I have tried to book you twice and each time didn't work for whatever reason you had. Your reasoning dosent make much sense but it's so admirable... You stuck to your guns for what you thought was right no matter what. That's beautiful strength. This comes through in anything you do... Right from the start, from the moment we met, I liked you and seen what may be a side of you that few others also see... That they fail to see... All of this is reflected in Grass... "
Unlike the debut, The Grass Cross reaches out not limiting the boundaries of what an acoustic album could be or even what a band and performer could be. Still, there's two versions of Grow Horns both piloted by Miles and it's your job to figure out which is which. Confusion surrounds every show and it's all your fault. There's a beautiful minimalism to The Grass Cross but yet wielded dangerously so to the upmost delivery. I have literally listened to this CD all day long before and the multiple listens didn't get old or wore out. There is medicinal value for ones psyche deeply delivered to your subconscious. There is nothing on this CD that I can see as needing any sort of fixing or altering. I wouldn't change a thing. The Grass Cross plays expertly with raw genius and beauty that is rarely seen in this immediate age of digital tenderness. It's easy to hit play over and over again, a sonic trap of uplifting outlier depression-rock. Miles debut Proper Seasons, was surprisingly great. It hit and it hit hard but The Grass Cross is fucking perfect and may be unstoppable.
Link(s)
Label: CentslessProd.com
Fb: https://www.facebook.com/GrowHorns?ref=ts&fref=ts
RIYL: The Mountain Goats, The Go-Betweens, The Bats, Robert Polard/Guided By Voices, Destroyer, Roky Erickson.
MFJD: "Future War". "Bomb In The Tomb". "Cloud Fortress"
