Music Review // Sam Bergquist "Wiser Then"

https://sambergquist.bandcamp.com/album/wiser-then-2

The music of Sam Bergquist is acoustic-based with folk leanings but based upon the title that you know this is going to be instrospective.  If you were trying to say that you were wiser than someone else, the title of this EP would be "Wiser Than".   The idea that it is "Wiser Then" just goes to show you that Bergquist has this way of knowing that in the future he will learn from what is happening now and become wiser.

While the acoustic guitar and vocals are sometimes joined by the harmonica as well, there is a definite blues sound to the song "Darlin".   This also has the line in it "I'm tired of being alone", so even if the music is only a little bit of the blues the general idea behind the message of the song is still there.   The song also closes out in an electric feeling way and reminds me to some extent of Bob Dylan.

"You Give Me a Reason" has some big singing on it, also a reminder of Dylan, and it just overall feels like a great way to end this set of songs because it goes out on a positive note.  The idea of asking whether or not you're wiser (as the second song does) and then feeling sad (as the third song does) just seems to be topped of by a more positive anthem and I think that the general mood behind these songs needs to feel that.

There are a lot of cliches about how every experience can be something to learn from and as long as we keep learning and going forward, we'll continue to grow and live.  Overall, I feel like these songs by Sam Bergquist are a reflection of that.  We might be sad at times, but what was it that made us sad?  How do we avoid that in the future?  And if it's unavoidable, then it just makes the times we aren't sad feel that much better.   Hopefully these songs lift up your spirits as much as they have mine.