Pinegrove
Cardinal

One of the first books I remember reading as a child is Huckleberry Finn. That blond, lanky boy traveling far and wide across mid-nineteenth century United States fascinated me, made me dream and fantasize about adventures I also wanted to embark upon. I speak of this little book, which I still keep somewhere in the attic in a box with all my things worn from use and time, because a few weeks ago it came to mind as I was listening to the new record by Pinegrove, a young band from New Jersey that recently joined Run For Cover.

Evan Stephens Hall, the singer of this band, wielding a simple guitar and singing about his life, his experiences as an American boy, reminded me of a modern Huck Finn. Maybe it was the evocative title of the album, Cardinal, that brought to mind the journeys of Mark Twain's novel's young protagonist. Perhaps it's the fact that in all the songs of the album, Hall talks about himself, his adventures, his loves, his past, and his desire to leave everything behind and change paths. A journey, not only physical, described with a bittersweet tone, with straightforward and sincere words, with simple yet convincing melodies.

In Cardinal there's a circle that opens with the initial track "Old Friends" and closes with the final track "New Friends", just to describe the desire to drop everything and change life. To grow up and face adult life, full of uncertainties and fears. Hall has no qualms about showing his fragility, and in "Aphasia" he passionately recounts the problems he had as a child with expressing himself in words, writing, and communicating with others. He tells of how now, having resolved this flaw, he feels finally free to say everything he feels, to anyone willing to listen.

The album by Pinegrove has a decidedly DIY approach, with a homely and indie sound. It draws vital energy from the crooked folk of Bright Eyes, the rock of Built To Spill, the banjo of Sufjan Stevens, and the melancholic emo of American Football. Derivative indeed, but with great personality. A personality that is fragile yet strong at the same time, which makes you fall in love with this record from the very first listen.

With only eight tracks and thirty-one minutes in length, Cardinal already ranks among the best albums of this nascent year. It's an album that gives hope, with perfect melodies that go straight to the heart. A tender, delicate record, but through the words, it reveals an incredible determination and vigor, propelling Pinegrove among the great new names in American indie.