Citified
Absence
eskimo kiss records
By Eileen Tilson
The Five Physiological Methods of Perception are used by the human body to mentally grasp something outside of our bodies. These senses: Sight, Touch, Smell, Hear and Taste, have been repeated to us since childhood as the tools needed to fully comprehend the world around us. On the EP Absence, from Greensboro dream-pop quartet Citified, each of these five senses are aroused so skillfully, that by the end of the 28-minute-long album, you understand why Citified cannot just be labeled as “shoe-gazer rock.”
At first sight comes “Founded” a wistful tune that starts out with a single guitar chord on repeat, before singer Chris Jackson’s voice comes pouring out like a stream of light coming over the morning horizon. “Pencil Me In” touches you with a continued plucking of guitar strings, before adding a simple drum line. Jackson’s voice follows the pattern of the song like a wave; his voice rising and falling with the pull of the guitar, repeatedly singing “my friend, my self.” “Landlocked” swirls around you immediately with reverbed voice and rhythmically locked guitar and bass, forcing you to almost breathe in cosmic air the song creates.
You can almost hear the boats pulling into the Mersey, with “Dutiful Scout,” a Beatlesque ditty that could have easily landed itself on the B-sides of Please Please Me. At the end of the EP, the taste of wine seems to flow out of “My Family Cup” a woozy melody with buzzing guitars that and dreamy lyrics that remain good to the last drop.
Following up after their The Meeting After The Meeting release from last spring, the EP was released on Atlanta’s own eskimo kiss records. Once again recording with engineer Jerry Kee at his Duck-Kee studio in Mebane, and with the same lineup that created The Meeting..., Chris Jackson (singer/songwriter/guitarist), Franklin Kane (bass), Eric Ussery (drums) and Diego Diaz (guitar/keyboards), Citified have compiled an inspiring soundscape that will leave you understanding why their fans keep coming back for more.
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