LAST OF EBB | Small Sur

DAYLIGHT WANING: Baltimore band Small Sur opens its latest EP, “Bare Black”, with a highly personal and touching track called “Weeds”. Lead singer, Bob Keal, wrote the gorgeous lines that open this record, in memory of his father who died of cancer: “When I finally drive to visit my father’s grave / Weeds and dandelions grow above where he lay / I will pull them from existence with calloused hands / They’ve grown harder for this very purpose since the day he left.” The three-track EP is composed of silken melodies, low humming, and hushed moments soft as down. Keal’s voice is sullen and drifting one moment, deep and wise as an old Redwood the next. Small Sur’s songs breath free and weightless, giving the tracks an airy sense of soul — and an ambiance of transcendence. To listen to “Under Trees”, the EP’s second track, is to commune with nature — as a circular, repeating guitar rhythm gives way to alto saxophone, rich interplay and wandering textures. It’s the beautiful sense of possibility. “Bare Black” will be released July 12 via Aural Slate Recordings. – David D. Robbins Jr.

Small Sur “Weeds”