Reord - ​Pale Blue Shutters

Reord

​Pale Blue Shutters
self-released; 2017

3.7 out of 5

By Dan Weston

Reord is the solo project for Joel Blakey. He recently released Pale Blue Shutters which is  a five-song EP that showcases a singer/songwriter with some talent and imagination. 

The EP starts with “Guns At Hand” which kind of baffled me as to why he decided to start things off with this song. Sonically and aesthetically it sounds different than everything else on the EP and it isn’t indicative of what lies ahead. In fact the other songs sound cohesive and make more sense on the same EP. 

“Guns At Hand” revolves around distorted, white noise through chords which were slightly dissonant but didn't seem to blend that well with the vocals. I actually thought the vocals were great when he sung but there are long stretches where you are just treated to the white noise. 

The next track “Train Go Sorry” just seemed to work much better with his singing style in a number of ways. On top of that the reverb laced guitar sounded fantastic and the drums bring just enough energy to the song. “Last Walk To Pti”  is a minute long solo guitar piece that felt like a transition to “Into Your Coat” which is another solid song that makes good use of reverb, twinkling guitar and a kinetic energy. His voice is smooth and reminded me a bit of Morrissey. 

“Cul De Sac Anymore” could be considered the centerpiece. It’s not so much a catchy, pop song but it is quite dynamic. The song is largely instrumental with a crescendo slowly building with a whirlwind of sounds. Around the two-minute-mark the song breaks and slowly builds back up but not to the peaks it did the first time around. 

The last song “Juniper” is a slower, moving song that is nostalgic and reflective. The song has an odd last minute of complete silence. 

Despite the somewhat perplexing first song Pale Blue Shutters was an enjoyable EP with some solid songwriting. Blakey has a great voice and I would have liked to hear a couple more hooks along the way. Blakley is one to keep an eye on.

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