A Rustic Americana Classic from Michael Landgarten and The Converts
A new release from Michael Landgarten and The Converts comes through with a classic, rustic-feeling folk and Americana style, beckoning classic country and giving you robust lyrics that paint a picture of someone who knows that the road is his home.
This is quite a beautiful song, and it's actually an elegant performance coming from all players. It's lush with acoustic instrumentation along with organs that give a little bit more color and depth to the song but also add to that almost vintage, classic feel and aesthetic.
This is a personal track that speaks volumes for the artist in the band, simply because it makes a big statement regarding those artists who spend so much of their time driving from show to show, playing tours, and living on the road.
After a while, the road just becomes your home. It's a classic tale, but it's one that comes from the heart, and it speaks a lot of truth when it comes to the touring musician.
If there's one thing about the music industry that hasn't changed all that much, it's that live performance aspect.
The beautiful thing about a song like this is that it actually displays the kind of performance that you would hear in a live setting. Everyone feeds off of each other, creating a synergy that's inviting. The tonal warmth that comes through is addictive and quickly infectious, giving you something that feels rootsy and delivering a lot to chew on.
It's got some great guitar work, including some overlaying Melodies that come through that add little hooks, which is something I adore because I love instrumental hooks and music like this, along with vocals that definitely also stick to that rustic approach.
This is a song that makes its mark. It sticks with you for long after it has ended, and if you are a touring musician, then this is almost like an anthem.
I like that he digs deep in terms of living that lifestyle. He paints such an incredible picture about living life on the road for the most part, and other musicians in the same field will immediately connect with.
The live percussion really adds a lot to the track. It's a driving point, but it's still very smooth. The whole song has that graceful touch, and it feels delicate, in a sense.
One of my favorite aspects about this track is how it gets a little heavy at times. Certain guitars get distorted, and you hear backing vocals come in and out during certain sections. They are like callback vocals, and I love how it feels because again, this also adds to the live performance vibe the track displays from the get-go.
There are moments in the track where it feels like watching an old western movie. There are layers of guitars coming together, and the textures and tones of them feel robust and boisterous when they all hit at the same time.
Some of those guitars have a light distortion, making it slightly dirty-feeling, and a tremolo effect on them, which indeed beckons the classic spaghetti western feel.
It adds a vastness to the song's underbelly, which is exactly the point. The song is called "The Long Highway", and when you imagine it, you imagine a sort of dust-ridden highway somewhere in the middle of the desert with a very long stretch.
If that stretch of road has a sort of vastness to it in your imagination, the tremolo and twang of the guitars really help push that factor.
You also have that southern twang, especially in the guitar solo section. That guitar solo has got loads of soul and definitely, once again, beckons country music through and through.
The blend of country, Americana, folk, and roots all exists perfectly together on this track. There are even elements of classic rock that show face here and there, but it's all very Southern.
This was a beautiful single with a lot of attention to the little details and plenty of heart, honesty, and proud vulnerability.
Don't miss this one.
