MUSIC REVIEW: Gary Higgins – Seconds
9th
2009
Gary Higgins – Seconds (Drag City)
For fans of the influential 1973 Red Hash album by Gary Higgins, this brand new album is a true gem and a great story. This is yet another artist from the late-60s/early-70s era along with Simon Finn, Vashti Bunyan and others who has been saved from obscurity and given the chance to once again do what they love: write great songs for an audience that is eager to listen; something these artists barely had in their supposed prime. Thirty-six years is an amazingly long time between albums and to hear him play now, other than the clarity of newer production, one could hardly tell. Don’t get me wrong, this record is not a “rehash” of Red Hash by any stretch, and it could be said that some of the mystique has been removed. Nonetheless, it holds up on its own. Truth is, without knowing any of Higgins’ history, the album itself stands alone as a strong, introspective folk record. Opening with “Demons,” the record moves seamlessly along hitting the “The 5AM Trilogy,” a 12-minute epic near the end of the album that floats along fluidly between an intricate instrumental feel and back to Higgins’ soft voice. The album closes with “Don’t Wanna Lose,” an uptempo song that feels like an earnest statement to holding on. Let’s hope another record follows.
-Todd ‘Pendu’ Brooks
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