Photo by Bryan Parker
Adam Torres spent most of last year in his old shoes. The Austin folk singer’s 2006 album Nostra Nova got a second chance thanks to a reissue, and Torres toured the country, breathing new life into the songs. The album was a quiet revelation, homespun but with a symphonic sound just a step removed from Neutral Milk Hotel’s fervent experiments.
Still, you can’t linger in your past for very long, and Torres confidently steps forward on “High Lonesome.” The local talent–drummer Thor Harris, Balmorhea’s Aisha Burns on violin, bassist Dailey Toliver, and producer Erik Wofford–all lend careful hands. The song sounds like a drinking buddy to Townes Van Zandt’s stunner “(Quicksilver Daydreams) Of Maria,” and like Townes, Torres has a way of saying more with less. It feels particularly Texan: there’s so much space, but Torres fills it up with just a few brushstrokes.
“High Lonesome” appears on Pearls To Swine, out September 9 via Fat Possum.
–Art Levy
