In his latest demos “Natural Stupidity,” “Bad Cannot Be Good,” and “These Old People” Paul Nourigat explores the depth of his melodicism with easygoing energy mostly absent from his closest rivals’ recordings, and the results of his labored efforts are quite charming indeed. The melodies in songs like “Natural Stupidity” are especially a festival of color, light, and affectionate comradery between the masses all by itself, and even if it hadn’t been given as seductive undertow as it was, it’d likely put anyone in a party-going mood this season. That said, there’s nothing as evocative in all three of these songs as the melodic content, and most of all, the vitality-steeped vocalist breathing life into every beat.
The percussion here is beastly from the jump in “Bad Cannot Be Good,” but it never interrupts the steady flow of melodic wonderment coming from the other instruments in the track. The meticulous craftsmanship of the master mix prevents any two elements from bleeding together in the music, and though the precision production style is a little more abrasive than past Nourigat cuts have been, it suits the slick nature of this composition perfectly. I think it was necessary to give the drums the lion’s share of the focus here, mostly to drive home the swing of the vocal with as much gusto as possible (from within the four walls of a recording studio, at least).
BANDCAMP: https://paulnourigat.bandcamp.com/album/demos-for-complex-truths-nov-1st-release
Paul Nourigat has turned in some great string play in the past, but there’s something entirely different about the tonality of his guitar parts in “These Old People.” Much like the drumbeat and the bassline here, there’s an unfanciful edginess to their presence that makes his voice sound so gentle by comparison. The aesthetical conflict results in some of the best grooving I’ve heard in a song bearing this composer’s name in the byline, and in a live setting, I can see “These Old People” turning into a full-fledged jam. The music video captures the essence of the music’s energy exquisitely, but I doubt anything would compare to absorbing its sonic virtuosity live and in person.
In the past couple of years, few of the artists in Paul Nourigat’s peer group have cut a set of demos in as unique a fashion as he has given the trends we’ve been hearing in blues and Americana especially. While I’m convinced that “Natural Stupidity” is more representative of a transitional era for his work than it is a glimpse into what his future might hold, it’s a good measurement of where he’s at creatively for sure. He’s still got some room to fill in this sound even more than he has in this most recent studio dispatch, but for what I look for in new indie cuts, this is a tough trio for anyone in his immediate scene to trump this November. Paul Nourigat’s next album, titled Complex Truths, is tentatively scheduled to drop in just a couple of weeks now, and if all of its tracks are as nice as these three are, it could likely be the most successful release of his young career.
Chadwick Easton