Jonas Bonnetta

Upon first listening to Farewell to Harmony, the most notable attribute is the strength and ingenuity of each of these 11 songs. For an independent release, Jonas Bonnetta arrives fully formed, with an acute vision in mind that’s one part Brian Wilson, one part Jeff Buckley, and the scattered remnants of the Incredible String Band and other early ’70s British acid folksters. It’s a lush and deceptive album from this Peterborough, ON native who comes across to the casual ear as a singer-songwriter with a minimal refrain: just his voice and his guitar. But subsequent listens reveal a tapestry of tape-looping, a psychedelically inclined backdrop where mountains of sound hide behind every note. What, at first, sounds like one voice is indeed one voice thrice layered. That intricate guitar work is actually four loops competing. Each listen reveals yet another layer, and each layer brings its own rewards. "We’re Moving On” and "Sea Side Waves” are essential listening, while the rest of the album settles onto the back porch and waits for the fireflies. Through and through, Farewell to Harmony is an independent treasure.