On Saturday night The Fort Café plays host to Dave Gowans’ (from Buttless Chaps fame) newest project, Cloudsplitter; if the band’s eponymous debut is any indication, the show promises to be among the best of the summer.
From the straight ahead opening strains of Fields At Night, to the sonic textural swirls of Start With the Soil, Cloudsplitter takes listeners on a journey through some stark, yet beautiful territory. Gowans proves himself an incredibly mature songwriter as he relays his fine attention to details such as “shadows on fire” and “a glorious haze to take it all away” in a baritone which is at once reminiscent of The National’s Matt Berninger and Johnny Cash.
The album’s sparse subject matter is perfectly wed to a hauntingly spare production featuring lush harmonies and haunting lap steel wails, effectively illuminating the terse territory of Gowans’ evocative lyricism. The result is a music of tremendous power, which will most assuredly be even more captivating in a live setting.
Cloudsplitter
With David P. Smith
Fort Street Cafe
Saturday, June 9
Doors at 7:30 pm
$7