The current indie scene is so diversified and abundant with knew, or completely unknown names that it can be mind boggling, so you have to opt for one of those know-all music sites to get any kind of reference. Who the h*ll is Michael Nau? Ok, it says "sounds like" Cotton Jones and Page France. Of course it does, it turns out the guy was in those bands anyway. Further, Beulah and Devendra Banhart are listed. Ok, there I'm in a more familiar terrain. A combination of an eccentric folkie and a band that was linked to Elephant 6 movement of the Nineties. Well, that is certainly a more familiar territory for me.
So, is the sound of Nau's album, titled "Mowing" really a cross that can produce something quite interesting, or something that will mow you with boredom? The former. "Mowing" was not concieved as a unified whole but is actually a collection of material that gathered dust on Nau's hard drive, I guess for a few years. And instead of leaning more into the singer-songwriter territory, Nau obviously still prefers a band format and a light, psychedelic sound that is so populr these day. Personally, rightly so. Nau draws inspiration from everywhere, and whatever connection there is with "folky psychedelia" of before, whether it is the mid-era Beatles or Incredible String Band, or even Sixties soul (try, for example, "Your Jewel"), Nau makes all those influences his own. Whether these songs were expanded from demos, or came to the album in the form "as is" makes no difference - "Mowing" has a great flow, instead of a heavy mowing, it feels like cutting the grass in your front yard, stopping every few moments to enjoy the light summer breeze and taking a sip of a soft drink. Good stuff. Will not forget the name Nau now.
