Justin Besse is a musician currently living in Burlington, Vermont who released Entangled Thoughts. Besse started playing clarinet in second grade, at the age of eight, but for several years now has been writing songs on guitar. He explains, “I really have tried to develop my own sound, but I have definitely been influenced by artists such as Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk and Woody Guthrie.”
The songs on this release aren’t the most technical and mostly revolve around strummed minor and major chords with singing on top of the progressions. On that note the performances felt honest and raw. The album opens with “Let It Go” and the song sentiment is all in the title. It feels like a reflection on letting go of particular thoughts and feelings. The mood is a bit pensive and melancholy but also contains some hope especially when the chorus hits and Besse repeats the phrase “let it go.” “Falling Leaves” contains palatable melodies and energetic strumming patterns. There were points in this song where I could practically hear the drums and bass enter like when he sings “We watch the leaves fall.” The album continues with “Misfits” containing themes about salvation, destiny and perhaps even finding your soul mate. “Darkness” is a darker song with lyrics that asks questions like “id there anything else to live for / Is there a reason to try.” I interpreted “Like Everyone Else” as yearning to be similar to others when you feel alone while “Miles” is a bit more pensive and even ominous. It ends with “Easy Love” which contains some of the more notable vocal melodies. My main critique was that the energy of the songs felt almost identical. The strumming patterns felt interchangeable. I wanted a little more variation here like perhaps some guitar picking and even some additional instrumentation to make the ride feel more dynamic. The songs are well written and I think the main strengths are the honesty in the performances which feel naked and human. This is a solid effort and hopefully just the beginning of a lot more to come. Take a listen.
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