Shadow Of A Drought
General
| Aug 2016
Reviews
Francis D
Reviewed 2016-08-18
Reviewed 2016-08-18
“Shadow of a Drought” Fialta
Melodic California indie pop-rock from San Luis Obispo. Sunny and smart. Surfy heavily reverbed guitars, ukulele and layered harmonies — blended with interestingly diverse rhythms. Fialta is two married couples: Mike Leibovich, Beth Clements, David Provenzano, and Sarah Shotwell. (David and Sarah were originally from the Bay Area before relocating to SLO, where Mike and Beth had settled.) The four are all songwriters, vocalists and multi-instrumentalists. There’s a lot to like here.
— Francis
Recommended: 5, 2, 9, 1, 10, 12. No FCCs detected.
1. (4:06) Be Someone — Up-tempo, catchy pop-rock with a cool bass line, stinging guitar, harmonized male vocals, and glockenspiel. ***
2. (4:04) Another Lonely Heart — Mid-tempo. Reminds me of Hall & Oates — if Hall & Oates were females. Really nice harmonized vocals over synth, backed by a steady beat. ****
3. (4:30) Turn your Head — Bouncy with a backbeat. Surfy, strummed ukulele, smooth male vocals, handclaps, whistling.
4. (4:07) Art Talk — Wistful, melodic. Shuffling electronic rhythm elements. Ringing guitar. Female vocals.
5. (4:08) Do the Best We Can — Anthemic, fuzzy synth-pop. First single. Yearning female and male vocals. Soaring choruses. Reference to “Shadow of a Drought” title. ****
6. (3:43) Burning on Empty — Glistening 80s synth-pop with shimmering female vocals.
7. (4:43) Subway State — Harmonized female vocals over an uneven rhythm. Electric piano and electronic handclaps. Crooning backing vocals.
8. (4:30) Give Up your Ghosts — Starts with a sunshiny pop and beach feeling, and then alternates with rock choruses. Interesting crystalline piano and rhythm segment in second lead break.
9. (4:50) On the Run — Stripped down, jangly guitar over a sleigh-bell rhythm. Intimate female lead vocal with nice harmonies. Brass in lead break. Lovely! ****
10. (3:58) Queen of the Night — Up-tempo, happy, bounding romp. Pounding drums and pumping synths. ***
11. (5:20) Central Sun — Mysterious feeling in the verses, which resolves into lush choruses. Piano. Bass. Prominent drums. ***
12. (5:22) Lullaby — Shimmering bells. A skittering beat. Dreamy male vocals. ***
Melodic California indie pop-rock from San Luis Obispo. Sunny and smart. Surfy heavily reverbed guitars, ukulele and layered harmonies — blended with interestingly diverse rhythms. Fialta is two married couples: Mike Leibovich, Beth Clements, David Provenzano, and Sarah Shotwell. (David and Sarah were originally from the Bay Area before relocating to SLO, where Mike and Beth had settled.) The four are all songwriters, vocalists and multi-instrumentalists. There’s a lot to like here.
— Francis
Recommended: 5, 2, 9, 1, 10, 12. No FCCs detected.
1. (4:06) Be Someone — Up-tempo, catchy pop-rock with a cool bass line, stinging guitar, harmonized male vocals, and glockenspiel. ***
2. (4:04) Another Lonely Heart — Mid-tempo. Reminds me of Hall & Oates — if Hall & Oates were females. Really nice harmonized vocals over synth, backed by a steady beat. ****
3. (4:30) Turn your Head — Bouncy with a backbeat. Surfy, strummed ukulele, smooth male vocals, handclaps, whistling.
4. (4:07) Art Talk — Wistful, melodic. Shuffling electronic rhythm elements. Ringing guitar. Female vocals.
5. (4:08) Do the Best We Can — Anthemic, fuzzy synth-pop. First single. Yearning female and male vocals. Soaring choruses. Reference to “Shadow of a Drought” title. ****
6. (3:43) Burning on Empty — Glistening 80s synth-pop with shimmering female vocals.
7. (4:43) Subway State — Harmonized female vocals over an uneven rhythm. Electric piano and electronic handclaps. Crooning backing vocals.
8. (4:30) Give Up your Ghosts — Starts with a sunshiny pop and beach feeling, and then alternates with rock choruses. Interesting crystalline piano and rhythm segment in second lead break.
9. (4:50) On the Run — Stripped down, jangly guitar over a sleigh-bell rhythm. Intimate female lead vocal with nice harmonies. Brass in lead break. Lovely! ****
10. (3:58) Queen of the Night — Up-tempo, happy, bounding romp. Pounding drums and pumping synths. ***
11. (5:20) Central Sun — Mysterious feeling in the verses, which resolves into lush choruses. Piano. Bass. Prominent drums. ***
12. (5:22) Lullaby — Shimmering bells. A skittering beat. Dreamy male vocals. ***
Recent airplay
Queen Of The Night
KZSU Time Traveler — May 06, 2022
Do The Best We Can
KZSU Time Traveler — Sep 20, 2019
Queen Of The Night
KZSU Time Traveler — Jan 04, 2019
Do The Best We Can
KZSU Time Traveler — Nov 30, 2018
On The Run
KZSU Time Traveler — Feb 02, 2018
Queen Of The Night
KZSU Time Traveler — Dec 22, 2017
Charting
2016-08-21 — 2016-10-23
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Oct 23 | 2 |
| Oct 16 | 1 |
| Oct 9 | 2 |
| Oct 2 | 2 |
| Sep 25 | 1 |
| Sep 18 | 1 |
| Sep 11 | 1 |
| Sep 4 | 1 |
Track listing
| 1. | Be Someone | ||
| 2. | Another Lonely Heart | ||
| 3. | Turn Your Head | ||
| 4. | Art Talk | ||
| 5. | Do The Best We Can | ||
| 6. | Burning On Empty | ||
| 7. | Subway State | ||
| 8. | Give Up Your Ghosts | ||
| 9. | On The Run | ||
| 10. | Queen Of The Night | ||
| 11. | Central Sun | ||
| 12. | Lullaby |