Right now, I'm smiling. It's a shame you can't see this; cynical, embittered individuals like myself are rarely subject to ear-to-ear Cheshire Cat grins. But listening to A Celebratory Arm Gesture, I can't help but be happy. Really happy. Another beautiful record has entered my life, and I have no intention of letting it go any time soon.
This isn't the first time Summer Hymns has done this to me. In the year or so since it was released, Summer Hymns' brilliant debut album, Voice Brother and Sister, has become not only one of my favorite albums in recent memory, but one of the few albums that can make me feel good every time I listen to it. Voice Brother and Sister remains, in many ways, the perfect summer record-- the hazy, gorgeous melodies and slurred psychedelic production affords it an inexplicable quality of heat and comfort.
Considering all this, it's not surprising my expectations for A Celebratory Arm Gesture were ridiculously high. It's one of the few albums I've actually spent a good deal of time worrying about before hearing. Voice Brother and Sister seemed like such a perfect one-shot album-- the band name, the album art, and the beautiful songs, some of which had been floating around in lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Zachary Gresham's head since high school. Honestly, I wasn't sure if they'd be able to pull it off again.
And in some ways, I was right. A Celebratory Arm Gesture is certainly not a sequel to Voice Brother and Sister. The production is much cleaner and the album as a whole seems decidedly less psychedelic. More importantly, perhaps, A Celebratory Arm Gesture sounds much more like a band record than Voice Brother and Sister, with each individual musician contributing his or her own unique influence to the record's sound.
Though the production on A Celebratory Arm Gesture is cleaner than on Voice Brother and Sister, the songs have grown more complex. But never do they sacrifice the seamless melodies and diverse instrumentation that truly made their debut great. "Something's Going On," the song that originally bore the title of the album itself, manages to be both tremendously sophisticated and instantly accessible. Derek Almstead's flowing, highly melodic basslines are a key part of A Celebratory Arm Gesture's sound, and "Something's Going On" features two of his finest. But Almstead's playing is only icing on the sweet, sweet cake of Zachary Gresham's songwriting skills. "Something's Going On," like many of the album's finer tracks, has several distinct parts, including a flat-out gorgeous bridge with a flute melody and lyrics like, "As long as there are words/ And one breath left in me/ There will always be one more song for you."
On the slower and more melancholy side of A Celebratory Arm Gesture are two hazy, contemplative ballads, "I Could Give the World Away" and "Closure Eyes." The former features an almost Mazzy Star-ish wash of slide guitar, harmonica, organ, and strummed acoustic guitar-- one of the most affecting, bittersweet moments of A Celebratory Arm Gesture. "Closure Eyes" opens with a fluttering piano melody, swells of slide guitar, and a descending bassline that perfectly matches Gresham's sad, enchanting lyrics. At the four minute mark, the song shifts into a tottering guitar drone with marching band-inspired snare drum fills. Soon, a burbling analog synth comes in, segueing perfectly into the record's most surprising track, the melodic IDM of "The Daybreak." Glitchy and warm, "The Daybreak" would actually be more at home on a Boards of Canada LP.
Just as Voice Brother and Sister was a perfectly constructed album, every aspect of A Celebratory Arm Gesture seems to fit together without flaw. The sequencing begins with more upbeat numbers and gradually segues into the complex "Something's Going On," and finishes with the bittersweet beauty of "I Could Give the World Away" and "Closure Eyes," each track interspersed with other gorgeous songs and instrumentals. Also, as with its predecessor, A Celebratory Arm Gesture's cover art seems perfectly matched to the album itself, combining nature and wildlife with hazy urban landscapes.
Rather than falling into the dreaded sophomore slump, Summer Hymns have accomplished a truly impressive feat: transcending their bandname to create a perfect record for all seasons.
