Ger Eaton - Season Changes
Irish multi-instrumentalist & songwriter (and hair stylist) Ger Eaton, a mainstay of the Irish music scene, member of many a Dublin based band (most recently as keys & guitar player for alt-rockers The Pale) has now, following the release of several singles, released his thematically shaped and seriously impressive debut album Season Changes.
Eaton's first solo offering showcases a set of well-crafted and well arranged songs that, lyrically, tell the tale of a long term relationship coming to an end through the seasons, from a still hopeful spring to the colder reality of a winter’s end.
(The songs were written and recorded toward the end of Ger Eaton’s marriage).
Additionally, and perfectly fitting for the vibe and theme of the album, there’s an intentional and welcome nod to the psychedelic folk, string-backed balladeering and baroque pop of the late 60s and early 70s, all with a touch of the contemporary.
Following a short, and slightly eerie, folksy 'Introduction' the album’s seasonal scene is set through the downtempo melancholy of 'I Thought I’d a Friend.'
An acoustic, string backed ballad, the number utlises comforting, musical warmth to counter the reflective chill of the lyric ("I thought I’d a friend, one I could count on till the end… now I’ve watched the candle burn, how I wish I could return back to the time, I can still see it in my mind").
The dreamier, lyrically grounded 'Home Again' (a nod here to the simple but beautifully effective arrangement) wouldn’t be out of place as the closing credits to a French film noir movie.
Short instrumental 'Taking Leaf' (the first of four 'Seasonal Interlude' pieces) then welcomes in the birdsong of Spring.
The uplifting strings & vocal arrangement of the questioning 'Heaven Knows' ("set adrift on the fear of the unknown…") is as endearing as it is charming, while the wistful 'Phoenix' dovetails the more contemporary with the "west coast pop" style of esteemed American songwriter Jimmy Webb (never a bad thing).
Continuing the wistful, and now summery, vibe, is rhythmically swaying instrumental piece 'Estivel,' which itself slips into 'Overture to Autumn.' The latter is such a beautifully scored piece of mood-shifting music that it’s as pivotal and important as any of the vocal/ lyric numbers.
Forlorn but deeply moving ballad 'Hollow' is a number Burt Bacharach would have been delighted to come up with, while the 60s sound of Jimmy Webb returns for 'The Time It Takes To Fall,' which lyrically heralds in the shift of both the season and the relationship ("the changing of the season, the final curtain call, the time it takes to fall").
Confirming that change of season is final Interlude piece, the plaintive, piano-led 'Wintertide;' strings and lapping waves then lead to the equally plaintive 'To The Ones,' a ballad to "the faded footprints in the snow" of those we no longer have in our lives.
'Season Changes,' a perfect blend of psychedelic and contemporary folk, brings the album, and its story, to a logical, melancholic conclusion. As the season’s change, so do our lives.
Melancholic but never morose, lyrically raw but fully relatable, and chock full of lush, warm arrangements, Season Changes is a debut album triumph for Ger Eaton; one that is hopefully as cathartic for him as it is captivating for the discerning listener.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Season Changes on CD, LP or Digital at:
https://gereatondimplediscs.bandcamp.com/album/season-changes
Eaton's first solo offering showcases a set of well-crafted and well arranged songs that, lyrically, tell the tale of a long term relationship coming to an end through the seasons, from a still hopeful spring to the colder reality of a winter’s end.
(The songs were written and recorded toward the end of Ger Eaton’s marriage).
Additionally, and perfectly fitting for the vibe and theme of the album, there’s an intentional and welcome nod to the psychedelic folk, string-backed balladeering and baroque pop of the late 60s and early 70s, all with a touch of the contemporary.
Following a short, and slightly eerie, folksy 'Introduction' the album’s seasonal scene is set through the downtempo melancholy of 'I Thought I’d a Friend.'
An acoustic, string backed ballad, the number utlises comforting, musical warmth to counter the reflective chill of the lyric ("I thought I’d a friend, one I could count on till the end… now I’ve watched the candle burn, how I wish I could return back to the time, I can still see it in my mind").
The dreamier, lyrically grounded 'Home Again' (a nod here to the simple but beautifully effective arrangement) wouldn’t be out of place as the closing credits to a French film noir movie.
Short instrumental 'Taking Leaf' (the first of four 'Seasonal Interlude' pieces) then welcomes in the birdsong of Spring.
The uplifting strings & vocal arrangement of the questioning 'Heaven Knows' ("set adrift on the fear of the unknown…") is as endearing as it is charming, while the wistful 'Phoenix' dovetails the more contemporary with the "west coast pop" style of esteemed American songwriter Jimmy Webb (never a bad thing).
Continuing the wistful, and now summery, vibe, is rhythmically swaying instrumental piece 'Estivel,' which itself slips into 'Overture to Autumn.' The latter is such a beautifully scored piece of mood-shifting music that it’s as pivotal and important as any of the vocal/ lyric numbers.
Forlorn but deeply moving ballad 'Hollow' is a number Burt Bacharach would have been delighted to come up with, while the 60s sound of Jimmy Webb returns for 'The Time It Takes To Fall,' which lyrically heralds in the shift of both the season and the relationship ("the changing of the season, the final curtain call, the time it takes to fall").
Confirming that change of season is final Interlude piece, the plaintive, piano-led 'Wintertide;' strings and lapping waves then lead to the equally plaintive 'To The Ones,' a ballad to "the faded footprints in the snow" of those we no longer have in our lives.
'Season Changes,' a perfect blend of psychedelic and contemporary folk, brings the album, and its story, to a logical, melancholic conclusion. As the season’s change, so do our lives.
Melancholic but never morose, lyrically raw but fully relatable, and chock full of lush, warm arrangements, Season Changes is a debut album triumph for Ger Eaton; one that is hopefully as cathartic for him as it is captivating for the discerning listener.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Season Changes on CD, LP or Digital at:
https://gereatondimplediscs.bandcamp.com/album/season-changes