Gregory Alan Isakov
Evening Machines
Every one of Gregory Alan Isakov’s albums has started with a guitar. Well, strictly speaking, there’s a bit — like two seconds worth — of percussion that begins his 2013 release The Weatherman; and, I guess his 2016 release With the Colorado Symphony technically has a brief moment of orchestral swell before his guitar breaks in. But for all intents and purposes, Isakov starts his works with his primary instrument — his 1967 Gibson J-50.
So, the fact that his latest release Evening Machines begins with a Rhoades keyboard is a startling contrast to what has come to be expected from the Boulder-based songwriter.
But the musician-farmer Isakov is used to flowing with the change of seasons. “I switch gears a lot,” he said. “I wake up really early in the growing season, and then in the winters, I’m up all night. I’m constantly moving back and forth.”
Isakov sketched out 35 to 40 songs himself during marathon studio sessions that could stretch up to 14 hours for many months. He recorded all the instruments and slowly intertwined the band: Steve Varney, Jeb Bows, John Paul Grigsby, Philip Parker, and Max Barcelow. A bevy of other contributors — including his brother Ilan Isakov, and his long-time musical friend Jamie Mefford, who, according to the credits contributed “god noises” on this album — supplied additional sonic flourishes as well.
Like many of the songwriting legends that he holds dear, Isakov’s lyrics are vivid and deliberate.
It’s an absolute masterpiece of modern folk.
