The Tucsonan by way of New Zealand by way of Sweden started his music career at a young age learning to play the drums. This eventually paved the way for Andrew to pick up a whole host of instruments and to even start recording himself in his home. After self-releasing a couple albums, Mr. Collberg was picked up by the German label Le Pop Musik and released On The Wreath in 2010. The two songs found on Dirty Wind are planned to be released on a forthcoming full length album soon.
"Dirty Wind" and its B side "Back on the Shore" both have a very expansive sound. Engineered and mixed by Jim Waters at Water Works Studios in Tucson, the airiness lends itself well to these songs penned "while traveling Western America and Central Europe." The live band that accompanies Andrew on this session, although not exactly his current lineup, does a fine job at expounding his original ideas into something dense and thoughtful.
I rather enjoyed Dirty Wind. The title track has a rolling blues feel, while definitely hitting a modern Wilco-esque vibe. You'll soon by singing "back into this dirty wind" without even realizing it. The flip side is completely opposite. "Back on the Shore" is a five minute journey down the river of existence. It teems with life from the start and continues to pulsate until you are awash in sound. It blows me away.
Like I said from the start, Fort Lowell seems to only release quality records and this is another fine example. I honestly was unaware of Andrew Collberg before he joined ranks with the Fort Lowell bunch but the more familiar I become with his music, the faster he rises on my list of outstanding musicians in Arizona. And I'm not the only staffer who thinks so. If Dirty Wind can be taken for any indication, I certainly hope this year we'll see a new full release from Mr. Collberg. The record is out now with the release party being held at Borderlands Brewing Co. on Friday February 3rd in Tucson. The show is FREE, starts at 4 PM and has Tracy Shedd and the Young Mothers opening. Should be stellar.
Did I mention the record is mint green?
