In untitled poem #1705, reclusive Belle of Amherst Emily Dickinson boasted that she didn't need to travel to Sicily or South America to imagine a volcano: 'A Crater I may contemplate/ Vesuvius at Home'.
Hibou (Seattle native Peter Michel, who was previously a drummer for Craft Spells) demonstrates that same imaginative capacity (and the ability to work in isolation) with "Above Us". As CoS' Dusty Henry notes, Michel sucessfully captured the bright, expansive beauty of a Seattle summer while recording his 2015 self-titled debut album in a walk-in closet and his room in his parents’ house with a mic, a guitar and some knowledge of music software. He claimed to "draw inspiration from nostalgic summers, relationships, and Seattle’s Discovery Park" and dedicated the 11 songs on his album "to the people I shared the last three years with".
Swirling guitar melodies and an upbeat 80s inspired production blend with languid, drawn-out vocals to juxtapose a sense of solitary introspection against the bright, expansive possibilities that summer promises to harbour:
'Oh I want to tell you that you're right
And go anywhere, desolate and by your side
All my timing is clouded by your words
And still I'm waiting until my thoughts are heard, better'
Lyrics: Musixmatch
The lyrics tell a story of unfulfilled longing - something that's easy to overlook with all that breezy, sun-charged guitar riffs. Perhaps Michel would prefer if his thoughts aren't immediately heard, and perhaps desolation lies in the company of someone else, while isolation is bliss.
