CD Review // A New Dawn Fades "I See The Nightbirds" (Cherub Records)

https://cherubrecords.com/album/ch041-a-new-dawn-fades-i-see-the-nightbirds-deluxe-reissue-2

The music of A New Dawn Fades is instrumental and can be somewhere between post rock and just that MPLS sound of rock n roll.   After opening up with that post rock feel to the first song, there is an audio clip about the pursuit of happiness.  This takes us into the third track, which has that MPLS rock sound that has been made famous by a few bands but never seems to be out there enough.

As the pace picks up, distorted chords come in and this just feels like such a rock album now.   "I Remember When This Town Was A Good Place To Grow Up" has this magical vibe about it, where it feels like the percussion is banging like literal metal but yet it's also trippy with these whirrs and soars.  Notes kick into heavy chords on the titular track and then this whole first part ends on sad strings.

After the initial nine songs, which are being reissued here, there comes seven more tracks which when played together create the final live performance by A New Dawn Fades.  I see in the notes this show took place at "Toad's Place Richmond, VA" and wonder whether or not it is related to the Toad's Place in New Haven, CT which once hosted Bob Dylan and now mostly has that Sublime tribute band play there.

Music can be a many complex thing because there is so much of it and we may not always be aware of it.  I find it more difficult to go back and seek out music which has been released that I don't know about than to move forward, so this kind of gives that edge of being able to make something older feel new again.   And even if you happen to remember this album the first time around, you've got that live show to make everything feel even better.