Greenswood - Blood On My Hands EP

Greenswood

Blood On My Hands EP
self-released; 2016

3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

First things first. The cover art for Blood On My Hands EP for Greenswood is a bit creepy yet cool. Sentient beings from another galaxy? Not sure but I enjoyed the unique artwork. 

​Greenswood is one guy from Australia and it apparently took him seven years to make this six- song EP. I have to say that's an absurd amount of time to be working on six songs considering most bands come out with an LP every four or five years. Regardless of the amount of time he worked on it the EP is cohesive and a good listen from beginning to end.

This EP revolves around a good amount of guitar picking, his unique sounding vocals and emotionally resonant songs. Greenswood has a unique style going on and I can always appreciate that in this day and age.

He opens with “See No More” which is a real builder in terms of momentum and instrumentation. It starts off subtle with guitar picking, soft drumming and his vocals. As the song progresses other elements start to arise. His vocal delivery is raspy and puts a lot of emotion into the words. I love myself some banjo and was happy to hear that arrive. The song hits its best moments when it gets festive and celebratory towards the end. Great stuff.

“Find A Friend” is a dynamic song. The first minute or so is quiet consisting of his vocals and guitar. A little after the two-minute mark and the drums are pounding hard. “River of Blood” was inspired by the massacre of Bundjalung aboriginals. It has some great drumming and a really hopeful vibe despite the dark subject matter. 

“Skies Are Grey” rocks out at a slower pace while “Dead by 45” is, well, kind of dark but again has a hopeful vibe to some extent. He closes with “Don’t Look Back” and it might be the catchiest of the songs. I liked the handclaps and could appreciate the lyrics, “You're so beautiful that you make me smile” after the track “Dead by 45.”

​Greenswood has talent and this is a good EP. Let's hope we don't have to wait for fourteen years for the LP.

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