If you were to take quick guess on which Beatle is Brandon Wolfe Scott's favourite, you'd put your money on George Harrison after listening to Burden on Your Shoulders, the latest solo EP by the frontman of beloved BC indie rock outfit Yukon Blonde.
Not that the title track or the EPs other Harrison-esque highlights like "Need You Now" are derivative. On the contrary — Scott's breezy, summery speak-singing on "Need You Now" picks up where "Here Comes the Sun" and "My Sweet Lord" left off by adding distinctively flaring climactic guitar riffs. Meanwhile, the title track's oh-so-Beatle-y angelic chorus, not to mention the verses that instantly beckon you to sing along, are pre-empted by haunting analogue feedback and unfussy acoustic strums that stand in stark contrast to everything else on the song. Those cuts, and the mellow, Traveling Wilburys-evoking "Shaky Handed," instantly make a case for turning to good old George for inspiration.
Pleasant as those songs are, Scott impresses all the more on "Something Real." That song's searing guitar riffs sound like a broken heart coming apart at the seams, a sentiment seconded by the high wailing of Scott's singing. "Summers on Fire," meanwhile, is an equal highlight thanks to the distinctive chime of its xylophone percussion.
More such tracks that show Scott's own gorgeous vision, instead of further echoes of prior greats, would make his next release even stronger. However, thanks to those standouts, Burden on Your Shoulders already sets itself apart from its less varied, more skeletally stripped back The Postcard Writer from 2015.
(Dine Alone)Not that the title track or the EPs other Harrison-esque highlights like "Need You Now" are derivative. On the contrary — Scott's breezy, summery speak-singing on "Need You Now" picks up where "Here Comes the Sun" and "My Sweet Lord" left off by adding distinctively flaring climactic guitar riffs. Meanwhile, the title track's oh-so-Beatle-y angelic chorus, not to mention the verses that instantly beckon you to sing along, are pre-empted by haunting analogue feedback and unfussy acoustic strums that stand in stark contrast to everything else on the song. Those cuts, and the mellow, Traveling Wilburys-evoking "Shaky Handed," instantly make a case for turning to good old George for inspiration.
Pleasant as those songs are, Scott impresses all the more on "Something Real." That song's searing guitar riffs sound like a broken heart coming apart at the seams, a sentiment seconded by the high wailing of Scott's singing. "Summers on Fire," meanwhile, is an equal highlight thanks to the distinctive chime of its xylophone percussion.
More such tracks that show Scott's own gorgeous vision, instead of further echoes of prior greats, would make his next release even stronger. However, thanks to those standouts, Burden on Your Shoulders already sets itself apart from its less varied, more skeletally stripped back The Postcard Writer from 2015.
