Gregory Alan Isakov and the Wild Reeds
It’s been a long time since anybody on the charts aspired to be the next John Denver, but Colorado troubadour Gregory Alan Isakov seems to think he’s the guy. He began self-releasing soft wilderness rock in 2003, taking his acoustic guitar on the road with RIYL compadres such as Nathaniel Rateliff, Blind Pilot, and Iron & Wine, soon amassing a loyal among the NPR and coffeehouse crowds. 2013’s The Weatherman remains his high water mark to date (it debuted at number one on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart), at least as far as his solo act goes, but he picked up a lot of new listeners in 2016 with a symphonic album featuring the Colorado Symphony backing him on a greatest hits performance.
Evening Machines, his fourth studio album and first in five years, is due October 5, with a support tour bringing him to the Music Box October 14. The first single, “Chemicals,” has been released, and a video is streaming online for “Liars.” Listening to the former and watching the latter, it’s evident that his orchestral experience has inspired him to beef up his high Rocky Mountain sound with less mountain and more high, piling on added layers and textures, including somewhat Pink Floydian undercurrent clutter, all recorded at a converted barn studio on Isakov’s Colorado farm.