He opens the new album with “Cellophane Skin,” a tune
with a pleasant, relaxed vibe and a good vocal performance by Mason. “He’ll tear right through her cellophane
skin/And she’ll wait until he does it again.” Mason Summit also plays
electric piano on this track. He follows that with a more energetic number, “Splatterpaint,”
in which he confesses “What I’m trying to
say/Is that I don’t know what to say.” Both tracks are really good, but the
following song, “Detour,” is one of my favorites. It’s a catchy, kind of quirky
and delightful tune that makes me smile every time I listen to it. Sure, part
of it is the horn, and part of it is that great work on piano. But a good deal
of it is the song’s lyrics, which have an inventive playfulness. Check out the
opening lines, for example: “I took a
circuitous route/A lengthy commute/Around your backstory/Avoiding traffic and
geographic memories/Your inventory of unseen footage/Because it’s better if I
don’t know/It’s better that I go/Through the detour.” In a time of fear and
misery and hatred, this song makes me truly happy. What more could I ask for?
Of course, then it’s followed by a song that begins with
the line “Tonight she called and said
that we were through.” “When Time Was Mine To Spend” is a song about
wishing to be able to return to childhood before troubles and concerns took
over our lives. I understand this idea, of course. But then again, I’m reminded
that Mason Summit is only nineteen or twenty years old (depending on whether
you’re looking at his Facebook page or official website), and the second line
of this song is “Tomorrow the big paper
is due.” Come on! You’re making me feel old. There are those among us who
could write a similar song about wishing to return to one’s college days. But
anyway, it’s a good song. “It seems the
list of troubles never ends/I wish I was a little kid again.”
And speaking of being a child again, in “Hitting All The
Reds,” Mason Summit mentions butterscotch Life Savers. I haven’t had butterscotch
Life Savers in years, but those were always my favorite when I was growing up.
Anyway, this song is another with lyrics that I just love, with lines like “And it seems like there’s a dead end/Behind
every bend” and “We both look newer
than we are” and “And I’m trying to
get ahead/But I’m hitting all the reds/So I put my dreams to bed.” We’ve
all had days like this, eh? Especially lately. This is one of the disc’s
highlights.
That one is followed by another favorite, “Gunpowder
Tracks,” the CD’s title track. It opens in a kind of folk vein, and halfway
through becomes another strangely joyful tune. Yes, again, it’s in part because
of the excellent horns, and because of that delightful piano part, both giving
it something of a New Orleans vibe, which is always appreciated. This might be
a good time to mention the musicians who play on this album. Mason Summit is on
vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric sitar, Mellotron, synthesizer,
electric piano and rainstick. Joining him are Shawn Nourse on drums and
percussion; Jeff Turmes on bass and clarinet; Carl Byron on piano, electric
piano, organ, harmonium and accordion; John McDuffie on pedal steel, lap steel,
electric guitar, and slide guitar; Lynn Coulter on congas and tambourine; Chad
Watson on trombone; and Neil Rosengarden on trumpet. “How could I have fucked up when I didn’t even try?/The sparks are my
calling card, the ashes my goodbye.”
The CD concludes with “Last Time,” which has something of
smooth jazz vibe. “There’s a last time
for every first/And the last time will be the worst.”
CD Track List
- Cellophane Skin
- Splatterpaint
- Detour
- When Time Was Mine To Spend
- Suede Pockets
- Hitting All The Reds
- Gunpowder Tracks
- Snakeskin Shoes Crocodile Tears
- Sidestreet
- Good Thing Going
- Particles
- Last Time
Gunpowder Tracks
was released on September 16, 2016.
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