Nat Baldwin - People Changes

(Western Vinyl, 2011)

The grace of a new Nat Baldwin album means that 2011 is now, officially, a good year for music. That’s how I consider it anytime the man let something loose. That’s how I consider People Changes.

What I’d add is that People Changes develops from what we’ve come to expect of Baldwin—an acoustically lush bass-centric album filled with rich, sideways pop music—into a melting pot of that same-said pop with more avant garde elements (harkening back to his debut, Solo Contrabass).

The extreme of that experimental push is “What Is There,” the penultimate track on People Changes, which layers Baldwin’s bass-work on top of itself to produce a tangled beauty not dissimilar to some of Sean McCann’s recent work, though quite unique in and of itself. It’s something I’d love to listen to stretched out over the course of an entire album.

The free jazz and experimental peppering (which increase in frequency over the course of the album) are perfectly placed, and are more than welcome to the solid base of songwriting Baldiwn has developed over the years.

I want to say this is a transitional album, to assume this will propel Baldwin’s future work even further into the areas of experimentation and the unknown, but to do so would be to slight People Changes, which, of itself, is an absolutely divine picture of experimentation cohabitating with pop music.

Did I already say it? People Changes means 2011 has been a good year for music.

Weights by Nat Baldwin by western.vinyl

Nat Baldwin - Most Valuable Player

Nat Baldwin
Most Valuable Player
(04.2008, Broken Sparrow)
Verdict = Living up to his album title

I have been anticipating Most Valuable Player for some time since becoming infatuated with Nat Baldwin's debut EP, Lights Out, and then his debut full length, Enter the Wind, a couple years back. The thick double bass and emotive croon seem custom fitted to my tastes: gorgeous, amiable, left field pop. I actually downloaded four tracks from Nat Baldwin’s Myspace page two years ago that were, as of then unreleased, that have shown up retooled here on MVP. The result is a testament to the time taken refining these time tested tracks. MVP soars magnificently as an avant pop masterpiece. Baldwin’s approach here is similar to past efforts where his voice and double bass have taken the forefront, focusing on the skeletal beauty of his compositions. Consequentially, the songs feel immediately personable, as if they were being played specifically for you in your bedroom. It is this intimacy that really allows MVP to flourish. Despite his individual proficiency, Baldwin has also wrangled in support from Dave Longstreth, whom he has played with in The Dirty Projectors. Longstreth’s guitar, still brimming from its use in Rise Above, adds to the already present similarities between the two artists. Baldwin also takes production assistance from Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor on MVP which bears his most polished sound to date. The assistance never seems to cloud Baldwin’s original intent as demos I’ve had of “Dome Branches,” “Black Square,” “One Two Three” and De-Attached” come full circle. Baldwin has even tacked on a reimagination of previously recorded track “Enter the Light Out” with mesmerizing results. All and all, the time spent on MVP reaps the benefits of a lush, meticulously refined album that it worthy of the highest regard, and while almost completely opposite in its approach to pop music, MVP is probably the greatest rival to Subtle’s ExitingARM in the race for best album of the year.

-Mr. Thistle

Nat Baldwin - "Lake Eerie"

Nat Baldwin - Enter the Wind

Nat Baldwin
Enter The Wind
(2006, Broken Sparrow)
8.5/10

I love Nat Baldwin. Enter The Wind is Baldwin’s first full length release on Broken Sparrow following the endearing Lights Out Ep released in 2005. A former Dirty Projectors collaborator, Baldwin shares a little bit with Longstreth’s troupe while forging a whole new territory for himself. Wielding a standup bass, Baldwin eschews most of the trappings that catch acoustic guitar savvy singer songwriters, creating a wholly unique vision of orchestrated avant-pop. With a crooning, syrupy voice, Baldwin’s ballads melt you into a sepia-toned comforter with unmatched beauty. I found Baldwin last year (using the ever-powerful Myspace) and have been unable to shake the need to listen to Baldwin over and over again. Some how Baldwin has discovered how to write and play songs that drill themselves into your subconscious, constantly tickling your desire to press the replay button. With Enter the Wind, Baldwin has anchored in his own little corner of perfect baroque-pop diamonds.

-Mr. Thistle

Nat Baldwin - All That Was