(2020) Twisted Pine - Right Now


Review:
Don’t even try to tag a label onto the music of the Boston based band, Twisted Pine. The group’s bass player, Chris Sartori gave it a try and the best he could come up with was ‘neo-folk indie soul avant jazz jam grass-icana’ -a phrase he admitted doesn’t easily roll off the tongue. If you are familiar with the band you might be scratching your head and asking- “Don’t Twisted Pine play bluegrass?” The answer to that is yes but as you’ll hear on their full-length sophomore release Right Now the group also plays jazz, pop, folk, funk and so much more. Twisted Pine which in addition to Sartori features Kathleen Parks on lead vocals and fiddle, Dan Bui on mandolin and newcomer Anh Phung on flute, came out of Boston’s rich bluegrass/Americana scene and went onto establish themselves as a bluegrass band. Over time they started to move their sound forward, particularly on their 2018 EP “Dreams” on which they put their own spin on tunes like “Heart of Glass,” by Blondie. And now with the recent addition of flutist Anh Phung, a musician with a varied background including schooling in classical and jazz, the once traditional bluegrass band has a non-traditional lineup and are taking their music in some exciting new directions. On “Right Now,” Twisted Pine doesn’t t just break the rules, they rewrite them. The instrumental track “Amadeus Party,” starts with Dan Bui laying down some funky mandolin, before Sartori comes in with a heavy beat joined by Phung’s fluttering flute and Parks’ silky fiddle. There an almost magical interplay between these four musicians, their playing is precise and delightful and the song downright danceable as it winds down with all four singing the refrain “Amadeus Party.” It’s string band party music at its finest and it’s not the only track here that will have you moving. “Papaya,” is a poppy fiddle tune that is an ode to the exotic fruit and features some stellar playing from Phung, showcasing what a welcome addition to the group she is. While the title track about an awkward encounter with an ex at a party has a great groove thanks to both Bui and Sartori. “Don’t Come Over Tonight” is a jazzy song about needing some space in a relationship that has become rather suffocating. Don’t come over tonight/I would like to be alone/And I would like to hear my thoughts without you telling me just what I am thinking,” Parks croons against a chugging mandolin and flute. She also adds some nice solo fiddle work to the tune. Some of the more adventurous moments are a cover of Father John Misty’s “Well, You Can Do it Without Me,” that Twisted Pine reimagines as an indie folk-funk tune and “Talkneeta,” a snippet of a song that begins with the music played backwards. But through all the various styles here, the band never loses sight of their bluegrass roots. They tear it up on a cover of Tex Logan’s “Come Along Jody” with each member getting a chance to show off their virtuoso playing skills, and they also let loose and jam on the Celtic tinged instrumental track, “Fogo de Chow.” The disc closes quietly with “Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise,” an uplifting song about hope and coming together. “Right Now,” couldn’t be a more aptly titled album as this inventive, uplifting, and fun music is the kind we always enjoy but is especially welcomed during these challenging times.





Tracklist:



Media Report:
Genre: americana, bluegrass, indie-folk
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits