Debut album from Gregory Rhodes

Gregory Rhodes’ debut solo album, The Dearly Departed and the Recently Returned, is a powerful and immersive work of art. Each song is a personal journey that explores the depths of human emotion and the hidden worlds within our psyches. The album, released via Evening Sun Records, is a culmination of Rhodes’ decades of songwriting, performing and recording in Alaska and the American Southwest.

The record opens with the track, “The Dearly Departed,” which sets the tone for the rest of the album. The whole record depicts a lifetime in reverse, ending with “The Recently Returned” as a cyclical rebirth into a strange new consciousness. Rhodes’ writing style is deeply personal, and yet refracted through the lens of larger themes of the human condition. He explores death, love, youth, religion and birth throughout the album’s nine songs.

Musically, Rhodes creates a unique blend of genres, drawing influences from 70s acoustic rock, 60s minimalism, experimental lo-fi, alternative rock and orchestral classical music. He employs an array of techniques to acoustically capture every sound on the record – without any use of synthesisers, software instruments or sampling; it’s raw and organic, and delivers his enthralling sonic vision in a dazzling and intimate fashion.

The album’s immersive poly-rhythms are created using dense layers of guitars, mandolins and strings, punctuated and interwoven with expressive percussion and harmonising choral compositions. The core of each song has an acoustic feel that’s reminiscent of classic rock, but with a distinct uniqueness that’s immediately apparent.

Rhodes’ talents as a recording engineer, producer, and performer are on full display throughout the album. He played every instrument on the LP and recorded it in Anchorage, Alaska, where he also functioned as the recording engineer and producer. The album was mixed by Geoff Stanfield in Seattle and mastered by Ed Brooks of Resonant Mastering, also in Seattle.

The album cover was created by Rhodes’ wife, artist Cat Lindquist-Rhodes, perfectly capturing the emotional depth and meaningful context of the music, depicting a world that’s both familiar and alien, just like the album’s themes.

Overall, The Dearly Departed and the Recently Returned is a sensational debut solo album from Gregory Rhodes. It’s an emotional journey that explores the depths of existence and the hidden worlds within our collective experience. Musically, the album is a unique blend of genres that results in an original sound that’s entirely new, and Rhodes’ talents as a recording engineer, producer and performer are out in full force. The album is a must-listen for anyone who loves emotionally charged music that explores the depths of what it means to be human and I can’t wait to hear what Rhodes has in store for his next opus.

Listen to The Dearly Departed and the Recently Returned below