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I\u2019ve been reviewing albums for, oh, close to 20 years now. I\u2019m on many music publicists\u2019 mailing and e-mail lists, and I\u2019m grateful for that. Occasionally, though, I receive unsolicited material from anonymous sources. (Or, on rare occasions, I recycle the mailing package before noting from whom it came.) That, or something like it, is what happened when For Now<\/i> showed up on my front porch. It wouldn\u2019t fit in my mailbox, because it\u2019s a 12\u201d record.<\/p>\n
And unless an unsolicited record I receive is clearly some kind of music I detest, I give it a listen. (Not always the case with unsolicited CDs, I\u2019ll admit). So listen I did to this EP from an act calling itself Merciful Heavens. As an enclosed sheet helpfully explained, Merciful Heavens is Austin-based singer and songwriter Christian Glakas (plus four other musicians on various tracks), and this (presumably) self-released disc is a collection of six original songs.<\/p>\n
The set opens with \u201cApples: :\u201d (yes, that odd punctuation is part of the song title). The track was released in 2021 as a single. It\u2019s an understated, minor-key number with a snaky, inviting rhythm guitar figure at its core. The cut reminds me a bit of a hipper Jackson Browne, with a melancholy hint of Elliot Smith. Glakas employs familiar phrases but mashes them up in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderground\u201d is hypnotic and contemplative, with a breathy vocal. The arrangement’s use of keyboards and programming is inventive and appealing, and the guitar lines at the center of the tune draw the listener into Glakas\u2019 world.<\/p>\n
The title track has a country-rock (Bakersfield style) character reminiscent of early Eagles without the attitude. The song\u2019s breezy harmonies are a treat. \u201cWhere the Sun Will Find You\u201d is equal parts baroque pop and drawing room singer-songwriter balladry. \u201cInside Out\u201d is the sound of having a rocking tune in one\u2019s head but harnessing it into something much quieter. The quality of Glakas\u2019 lyrics are such that the approach works; powerful guitars would have smothered them.<\/p>\n
The EP ends with an instrumental, \u201cFluid Days.\u201d It\u2019s the set\u2019s twangiest number, but it\u2019s lovely just the same. And it\u2019s a fully developed song, not one that sounds like an unfinished track waiting for a vocal overdub. The clean electric picking is enjoyable enough that words aren\u2019t needed. (The wordless vocals work nicely.)<\/p>\n