Michael Nau - Accompany - Powder Blue - VINYL LP

Michael Nau is set to his fifth full length record under Karma Chief Records on 12/8/2023. Since the mid 2000's, he's crafted a catalog of thoughtful, reflective songs as the frontman of indie-rock mainstays Cotton Jones, Page France, and Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread.All 11 tracks come together to paint a beautiful picture. The lyrics invoke the listener's imagination throughout. They're introspective, but vague and open-ended. The indie rock backdrop shows signs of psych-soul influence with dry and punchy drums, rich synth lines, and tastefully verb-soaked vocal production. Sweeping string arrangements and French horn runs add cinematic motion to the waltz-y InchShiftshapingInch (track 4). Slide guitar and a shuffling snare drum add some get-up-and-go to InchPainting a WallInch (track 2). Nau's vocal delivery falls somewhere between crooning to a crowd, telling stories to a loved one, and musing to himself.The singer-songwriter's relaxed attitude toward making records is discernible in the sound. A while back, veteran producer and engineer Adrien Olsen (The Killers, Lucy Dacus, Fruit Bats), approached him about recording in his Richmond, Virginia-based studio. For the first time in a while, Michael had some sessions on the calendar. He called a few old friends and put together a band. InchI didn't have much of a plan before Adrien reached out, so I wrote some songs specifically for the session,Inch Michael explained. InchI was thinking about what would be fun to play with this specific group of guys.Inch The band consisted of several long-time collaborators and musicians who had participated in Nau's various recording and touring efforts over the years. InchIt had been a while since I'd made music in a room with other people,Inch Michael shared. InchWe just sort of started playing and didn't really talk about what was happening.Inch The combo's newfound chemistr