Music Review // Eddie Berman "Signal Fire"

"Signal Fire" is the type of album that has a weight which you can feel.   Yes, these songs by Eddie Berman are heavy in the way that their lyrical content and just the mood in general that they set can weigh you down, but this is also a lot of music to digest.   This feels like the type of album that would be released on record, as it has a distinct split between the song "Heartbroken" and "First of Spring (Keira's Song)", where you would flip sides of the vinyl.

At first, there is this rock mixed with Americana and a little bit of country / folk sound to Eddie Berman.   But as the album goes on, I begin to hear other influences.   Everlast, for example, comes through in that outlaw country sort of way.   "Go from Here" seems to channel Lou Reed, as it has that mellow, cool way about it.  Then with "Mare Imbrium" we drift more into the acoustic melodies like Jack Johnson would make.

[4] has a stronger, country type of presence while that big voice / piano combo creates a sweet love song on [5].   "Looking In" says "I was on the outside" and is a fun song, a little like The  Wallflowers.   We reach what should be the end of the first side with the sad ballad "Heartbroken" and then horns come out to start off "First of Spring", which feels like the start to the second side of this album, as it takes on a new life.

The song "Anymore" has this gunslinger country way about it while the rest of these songs come off with the general mood of this album overall.  These songs are mellow, they're spacious and they're powerful.   They're not loud or overly abrasive, but they still have that feeling of wisdom where if you hear someone out there singing them you stop, listen and pay close attention because you might just need to know this type of information at some point in your life.