Buko Shane - Pandemic Blues (Long Lake Studio)

The pandemic might have occurred a long time ago, but the world that emerged from it, the one that we have to live in now, is a very different one than before. People’s often intense experiences of the time meant that attitudes towards ourselves, those around us, our government and leaders, and the world at large changed, often dramatically. The effects of those times are something that we still carry with us, that we will always carry with us, whether we are aware of the fact or not.

“Pandemic Blues” is an album written about those times and the long shadow those events cast over the following years. While not all the songs are directly about the COVID experience itself, the feelings of loss and isolation, the legacy of lockdowns, and the struggles that most of us faced can be heard in the songs.

Although a full rock band, Helsinki’s Buko Shane here strips things right back to the very essence – usually just an acoustic guitar and a voice with occasional additional sonics to add deeper tone or more beguiling texture – the power and poignancy coming from the stark and spacious soundscape that they build.

“Long Winter” wrestles with faith in humanity while pedal steel guitar takes the Americana sound down a darker path. “For Nick” is a dreamy instrumental scattered with Mediterranean musical motifs and sonics garnered from Greek folk traditions. “California (In My Dreams Again)” is a beautiful slice of escapism and optimism that rounds things off like a long-lost Laurel Canyon classic.

Not only a collection of great songs, poignant songs, and relatable songs, but proof of the old adage that less is more. Here, this much less is so much more!

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