I’ve no idea what a “scivic” is, aside from being the name of a Chinese engineering firm. But Scivic Rivers is the moniker of Durham, NC folkie Randy Bickford, and this four-songer follows a self-titled 2023 debut LP, as well as six albums from 2001-16 as The Strugglers and Brice Randall Bickford. On the jazzy, horn-shaded “Ballad of a Classic Shadow,” which examines his contentious relationship with his dying father, his savory, composed vocals blend Tim Buckley and Tim Hardin, while on the self-praising yet concerned “Golden Age of Technique” (and its unhurried, Beat “Save It For Later”-tinged guitar riff), he recalls Don McGlashan of New Zealand’s great Mutton Birds.
Whether delving into complex family relationships on the lightly clattering, tropicália-flavored “The Drive,” or evaluating how a departed loved one has impacted his life on the hushed, piano-trilled “Empire Haunts,” Bickford’s meticulously unfolding, detail-packed narratives captivate.
Scivic Rivers: Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | SoundCloud | YouTube
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