Curtis McMurtry - The Hornet's Nest (2017)

Tracklist

01. Hard Blue Stones
02. Smooth as Thorns
03. Loves Me More
04. Wrong Inflection
05. Bayonet
06. Rebecca
07. Can't Be Better
08. Coward
09. If I Leave
10. Tracker
11. Together for Now
12. Shot at the Title
13. Silver World


The Hornet’s Nest bears a humble Americana-style beginning with its spare, banjo-based “Hard Stone Blues,” but the record is filled with lush sonic landscapes featuring chamber orchestra parts, jazzy trumpet accompaniment, and lounge-style duets. These elements, reminiscent of a musical motion picture soundtrack, hearken back to a different time; admittedly, this is an album that requires attention and time spent savoring each song to understand the bigger picture. Of course, it is often said the best pieces of art take time to be truly appreciated.

Initially, the songs sound sparse, quiet, and mournful in exquisite ways. Each song is an intricate of puzzle whose pieces are surprising and continually revealed through repeated listens, McMurtry’s composition talents are quite impressive for someone so young snare hits replaced with snaps, acoustic runs that mimic the barely audible vocal parts blended with significant background instrumentation evidence an ear and imagination that have forged some of the most stunning moments of musicianship this writer has heard in recent years.

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