Andy Thomas’ Dust Heart
Reckless Abandonment
It may be only four songs, but the exclusive 10” EP from Andy Thomas’ Dust Heart is as full as a double LP.
Thomas, a member of Denver rockers The Knew and acoustic-y punk group Tin Horn Prayer began playing solo years ago, but since he said there are so many folks who share his name, he gave his solo project a full band name. Now that solo endeavor has grown into a full group behind the name and Reckless Abandonment has nary a hint of solo work, and all but screams big, grimy pedal steel Americana-rock band. The group features Thomas’ Knew bandmate Tyler Breuer on guitar and pedal steel, drummer Rob Burleson, bassist Chuck Coffet and mandolin player Cole Rudy, in addition to vocalist/accordianist Jen GaNun, whose soft harmonies give the petinaed surface of Thomas’ songs a soft, delicate and slightly polished feel.
The flushed-out porch music that Thomas and company put forth ranges from the acoustic stripped-down sound of the title track to the raucous, encore-ready anthemic “Mad To Live.” Thomas has always had a penchance for making big rock and roll sounds with acoustic instrumentation and for Reckless Abandonment he seems to have found a balance of blistering as well as delicate stories, and that magic makes every turn on the record a wickedly-fun exploration.
