“Our waiting days are finally over,” the title track from Pert Near Sandstone’s new album decries, echoing the sentiment of a community recently pent up and beyond longing.
Waiting Days, Pert Near Sandstone’s 8th studio album, has all the strengths of its four songwriters (all of whom are vocalists) – Justin Bruhn (bass), Kevin Kniebel (banjo), J Lenz (guitar), and Nate Sipe (mandolin, steel guitars, fiddle). It’s a strikingly different world than when Pert Near Sandstone first began nearly two decades ago near the sandstone river bluffs of St. Paul, and their music has grown to reflect that of a band of brothers.
Known for their modern appeal and collaborative spirit as longtime stewards of the modern string band revival, their music meditates on the present and is rich in references, continuously pulling the genre toward a more contemporary perspective.
Chris Forsberg, a recent inclusion to the outfit, puts his fiddle stamp on the overall sound with turnbuckle solos and harmonious response to the melodies. Trampled By Turtles’ fiddler and original Pert Near member, Ryan Young, recorded and mixed Waiting Days at his Neon Brown Recording Studio and added his fiddle and other accouterments t bolster the energy of the songs.
The heavy-hitting and motivating “Out of Time” is a gazette of concerns that we face in troubled times, whereas the surrealistic “All Waves Break” urges renewal.
They find beauty in dark places with “Clouds Are Gathering,” lead you into their inner world with the symphonic strings in “Believe,” create space for rest with “Lay Down Your Burdens,” and “Who To Choose” fosters self-determination and individuality.
“I’ve Been Traveling,” “Soo Line,” and “On To Dawn” are traveling songs, sung by a band that has hit the pavement hard over their time, simultaneously creating a soundtrack for those all night drives that music festival devotees know well. The railroad laden album cover looks as though it could be an illustration for the country-tinged “End of The Line“.