Ryley, where am I?!
That is the burning question and instinctive feeling I get while listening to Chicago folk songwriter Ryley Walker’s new song: “Primrose Green”.
I’m in agreement with Consequence of Sound’s observation that Ryley “makes music that feels like it’s from another time: earthy, pastoral, and gorgeous” and I think it’s only fitting that the song has me a little lost and confused – isn’t that what earthly and pastoral experiences evoke?
At the same time, I’m still in Chicago. The jazzy piano and rhythm section have me nestled in a dark corner booth at a small unsuspecting brick-walled alley bar drinking Lagunitas on the north-side, but the tone, vocals, and intricate guitar picking suggest otherwise.
I could be off somewhere in the countryside of Ireland or the UK for all I know. And, are we in this decade? Sometimes I think I see a stream trickling through a meadow, but then I find myself meandering the high peaks of the rockies with a dog and a horse by my side. It’s a happy blur. I can see most of the world and its environments from “Primrose Green”. And I like it!
My suggestion to you, the listener, is to first listen to the song without watching the video. See where the song takes you. Then listen and watch the music video. It’s beautiful but still confusing; confusing in the best kind of way.