Joshua Cannon - Pilgrim Skies (2023)

"Joshua Cannon, a long-time guitarist and behind-the-scenes songwriter from Central Arkansas, steps onto center stage with his debut album. Pilgrim Skies beautifully merges the sounds of 60s baroque pop and 70s folk rock with alternative indie from the 90s and early 2000s. Cannon’s lyrics reflect on the kind of wisdom found in youth, measuring the temporal against the eternal. The tenderness and style of the vocals are reminiscent of both Chris Bell and Elliott Smith, fitting the album as an alternate soundtrack to “Garden State” or a number of Wes Anderson films.

Pilgrim Skies demands to be heard on vinyl. Songs like Judgment Day and Sinking Like a Stone stand out as particular proof of both Cannon’s ability to write memorable lyrical hooks and strategic riffs. Lush guitars take over in places where harsh rocking may be expected and, at times, the other way round.

The entire journey through the album is propelled by Cannon's intricate guitar-work, which sails through the cosmos, over arrangements of cellos and trumpets swirling like galaxies. There are, no doubt, nods to the greats: guitar tones from the power pop of Big Star and Teenage Fanclub, as well as the power grooves of Jeff Buckley. But, it feels like watching a new soldier pick up the munitions of great lieutenants either fallen or long retired, all the while looking to the future of alternative rock."