For those of you that are seeking out a few more notes of truth and just that many more words of wisdom, I recommend Steel Audrey.
However, it won’t be enough to merely press play and go about your daily routine. The first listening experience of Steel Audrey’s self-titled EP should be one of adventure and renewal. I recommend you and your lover each share an ear bud and press up against each other while a roaring fire lights up an endless sky and the sound of the waves and the darkness that surrounds them brings you deeper and deeper into a…
…I unfortunately did not have that first listening experience. My experience began on a run at quarter-to-midnight on a Wednesday. It wasn’t as epic as what I suggest you experience but man did it get me going.
The album starts out with a track named “Sunshine Hill” (the summer version). It tells the story of a man that becomes master of his own destiny. He has ‘skills in these bones’ but the ‘tendons will not hold’. He argues that he in fact will cultivate these ‘skills’ or ‘talents’ on what author Derek Kehler later abstractly juxtaposes as a park bench (maybe humanity?) on Sunshine Hill (possibly the hereafter?).
While I don’t like to read into lyrics too often, as I personally believe that they are part of a conversation that happens between reader and listener and are constantly changing and are never just one static expression, I thought I’d give my two cents.
It’s really that type of album though. It’s the type of record where you want to read in. You don’t want to just sit idly bye and be told by some random over-thinker (that’s me) what to take from Steel Audrey. You want to make it your own and seek out your own message amongst that entire abstract and beautifully written lyric.
Steel Audrey’s self-tilted album is not a well formulated after thought. It’s not just Americana for the sake of being Americana or Canadiana for the sake of being Canadiana. Steel Audrey has mixed just the right amount of abstraction with just the right amount of insight. It is quite beautiful and has become one of my top albums of the year.
Kehler then goes on to tell an amazingly well researched and articulated tale in his song of *spoiler* Billy the Kid (sorry readers). There is a low rumble to Kehler’s narration. He is captivating. He makes you want to go ‘300 miles south of Sante Fe’ as the track “Silver City” screams out.
Please make your way through the journey that is Steel Audrey.
The Debut EP will be Available July 3rd. You can learn more about them at http://steelaudrey.com/
Steel Audrey – Pocketwatch Patrick from Steel Audrey on Vimeo. 
