Joseph Demaree and the Square Tires: Sunbeams [Album]

Dear fans of soft, somewhat morbid, but ultimately pretty ballads and storytelling, do I have a treat for you!  I would like to introduce the reincarnation of Leonard Cohen.  Of course, I know LC is still alive, kicking, and kicking ass, but it still has to be said.  Much as I deem Blitzen Trapper’s Eric Earley to be the son Bob Dylan wished he would have had, I am certain that Sir Cohen would wickedly approve of Demaree’s sultry new age twang and simple melodies about the sun and so much more.  For readers old enough to remember the first time they heard the first of the Songs series, listening to this cat with his band The Square Tires on their new album Sunbeams has to have a similar appeal.  It simply has to!

There is simply too much to love on here.  Demaree’s northern/western drawl might be off-putting at first, or the entire time if you are only used to straight edge, high school a capella turned folk singer style.  But for those who can find the beauty in his demeanor, which I am sure there are many of us out there, this will be something you will truly enjoy.  This especially goes for the infectious 8 1/2 minute long cut “Catch A Sunbeam” that I still believe can go on forever, and become the background music for the earth.  And despite the implication by the title “Shouting In The Street”, this other gem of a track is as mellow as rainy day in Demaree’s home base of Portland, Oregon.  Just smooth sort-of-folk-but-mostly-blues melodies about breaking out and down altogether.

I really can’t say enough good things about Sunbeams.  This is album is simply delightful in so many ways.  Storytelling has always been a very important factor for me personally, and Demaree does it absolutely perfectly on this album.  It has to be stated once again:  When we are doomed to have Mr. Cohen absent from this earth, we will likely still have Demaree.  Which I believe is a very fair trade.

Pick up a copy of Sunbeams right HERE, from the finest independent record labels around today, Idiomism Records.