Evan Abeele
III (out now, self-released)
To be honest, I’m not sure when the Memoryhouse composer put out this EP. Bandcamp says it was released in August of 2014, but I feel like it hasn’t existed in this 5-song form since last year. Either way, it’s new to me, so I wanted to write about it. I stumbled on this collection on a recent visit to the underrated Guelph native’s excellent Bandcamp, hankering for the reflective ambient goodness he serves up as a solo artist.
III has its fair share of his trademark solo sound: spare, piano-based pieces (see: the lovely opener “Williwaw” and centerpiece “You Don’t Have to Love Me Back”). That said, it is well balanced by the expansive, powerful “An Airing” and the washes of guitar reverb and gentle vocal filigree of celestial closer, “Hialeah, pt II (Em).” While we’re still awaiting details on Memoryhouse’s forthcoming second LP, III is more than a worthy aperitif — both an harbinger for exciting things to come and an impressive statement in its own right.
