Peasant
On The Ground
Paper Garden Records
By Eavvon O'Neal
There is something to be said for an artist’s ability to make lyrics stick to your memory. That is, when songs stay with you, while you unknowingly go about your day. Perhaps they resurface during a shower or while waiting in a heinously long line or even creep out in your sleep, soundtracking the lucidity of your R.E.M. cycle. However they present themselves, it’s because of attention to detail (or dumb luck) and concentrated, melodic scrutiny. Peasant's sophomore effort, in his strive for pop sensibilities with an indie approach, has kept this in mind, and thus On The Ground is presented to us as a wonderful exhibition of how to make a pop song carry appeal.
Every artist we fall in love with has something worth remembering. Regardless of how that element is introduced, the staying power of the quality determines the longevity of the artist. This is why timeless music or unforgettable moments lead to stardom. What makes or breaks our beloved musicians, and keeps everyone from success, is their approach. Peasant has chosen to take the direction of strongly rooted harmonies over clear and minimal guitar, with a splash of piano for flavor. His results are often toe-tapping works, reminiscent of Figure 8-era Elliot Smith. "We're Good" attempts this best, with light and colorful cymbal splashes beneath the slow pace of the snare. There is a thin choral build during the chorus that pushes the song along, kicking the piano to the forefront while the sparse lyrics allow for the melody to take hold. This comes after a slight build from the beginning of the album, the first three tracks whispering the urgency down toward "We're Good." This energy then ebbs into "Raise Today" only to return on "Those Days," which entertains through a clean acoustic presence, still holding tempo without the use of any drum presence. The title track is one of Peasant's best uses of harmonies, reinforcing the lyrics with ovate differentials.
The second half of the album presents some interesting moments in structure of songs like "Missing," and production quality on "You Don't Know," rivaling the first half in songs that feel deeper, more grounded. Not to say that the first half is lofty by any means, but the second half provides more intimacy than the first half ever could. As far as for how memorable the lyrics are, depth doesn't ever correlate directly to pop success (candidly, it’s often a hindrance), mostly due to how difficult it is to achieve consistency. The thing that makes "You Don't Know" a winner is Peasant's use of a lower register, which really constricts the span of the song, almost like tying the song to your subconscious as if it were a boulder. More so, the coda to this song floats off with the aid of flutes, which add a poignant moment of hope.
It isn't guaranteed that you'll wake up whistling tracks from On The Ground in a carefree manner, but it’s likely. After a few listens you will undoubtedly sing along, and after a few more, you may tell your friends. Peasant, in perusing timelessness, may very well have created an album that should help to see his career take off.
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