Bird By Snow

Common Wealth, the fourth LP from Northern Californian one-man operation Bird By Snow, is perfect music for sitting in a cabin or café. Whether or not this is what singer Fletcher Tucker intended, the clear-cut, unbridled emotion-saturated lyrics demand quiet surroundings and your full attention. This is made clear by the fact that opening track "Wobbly Legs" clocks in at over seven minutes long ― a brave move, one that says, "get in or get out." The sad, psychedelic aura that floats above this whole album is particularly noticeable on this song, and things remain heavy until "As We Are Now," the simplistic acoustic duet, with guitar strings that sound like rain. There is an ever-present atmospheric hum that brings this album together as one great big folk reverie, the odd reference to Pagan meditations aside. While likening this album to Iron and Wine or the Rural Alberta Advantage wouldn't be inaccurate, it lacks the charm of either and may be a little too downtrodden to listen to regularly.