Summer may be just around the corner, but John Miller has no trouble putting us in a mindset of a time when the leaves turn from green to brown and the air becomes just a tad bit colder.
Shades Of Autumn Everywhere begins with two quick tracks, but their length gives a nice little preview of what you can expect to hear on the record: acoustic and airy songs that sits just right on a mellow night. “Common Bastard” quickly shows John’s vocal range and talent with high yet soothing notes. The song leads into “Fable”, which is perhaps the albums best track with the lyrics “together we’re different // and alone we’re the same” leaving a subtle impression on your mind.
“Maybe We’ll See” is surely the bright spot of Shades Of Autumn Everywhere with a picking pattern on guitar that makes you subconsciously tap your foot while listening to John slowly impress you with vocals that only seem to get better as the album moves on. “Almost Certain” shows off John’s writing skills with the lyrics “Look how I’ve grown // like a disease in the lost and found // you give and you receive // a blank song without a sound”.
Almost like an interlude, the short track, “Remedy Nicotine”, gives Autumn a little diversity with a piano part that more than stands out and leads nicely into “Greedy Fingered Pieces”. It’s not hard to recognize that Autumn is a very personal album, and “Greedy Fingered Pieces” may be the most personal track of them all with echoed vocals letting out “Sold your sold // your benefit increases // but it’s wrong // I’m just a piece of shit that nobody will know”.
“No Name” will become an instant favorite on the album. Just like the title suggests, it’s a song about losing your identity. “I’m a piece of dust // on your windowsill // time to wipe the dirt away” is an eerie reminder of how easy it is to not know who you are.
The album ends with “Veteran Story”, a perfect closer. Starting off with a chilling piano part that changes but stays constant throughout the whole song, John wraps things up by displaying the best of his vocal abilities that at points almost remind you of Ace Enders.
****/*****
