A deep dive in Mt. Desolation's music

Mt. Desolation has been around for quite a while now. It's been 10 years since the release of their debut album (Mt. Desolation). The band was formed by Jesse Quin and Tim Rice-Oxley, in 2010. The two are both members of Keane, one of the most important British musical acts of the 2000s. They decided to give an opportunity to country music, one on the piano (Tim) and the other one on guitar and vocals (Jesse). 

The first LP was released under Island Records and featured three major songs: "Bitter Pill", "Departure" and "State Of Our Affairs", all of them with official videos. It was the first step to what would become one of today's best alt country acts out there. 

It's a very rich album and even features a track inspired by one of Jesse's cats: "Platform 7". Funny fact. But what really is the point of this article is to showcase the high points of this fantastic band. 

One of the things I hughlight about Mt. Desolation is the lyrics. They are honest, "easy" to understand, relatable, beautiful. Simply beautiful. 

The other interesting thing about them is the fact that they have different people singing throughout the LP: Jesse, Tim and Jessica Taylor, which gives variety to the whole musical work. It is indeed a very versatile album. It's also very enjoyable musically, particularly the piano and the synthesizers, which are ALL OVER! 

They vanished for a few years, giving very little news to their fans, who were waiting desperately for new music. Until two years ago, when Mt. Desolation announced When The Night Calls. It showcases a new and more produced side of the band. It's a more stable sounding LP. It's not so much country as the first work, but has some traces here and there. But it's so much better than the first one, although the debut album is very good as well. But this one is different. It's closer to other audiences. More "pop", but in a good way. The lyrics are more love inspired and the melodies are more upbeat. "How To Fly" is the "happiest" one, with a faster beat, more guitar riffs, solos, shouts, rapidly changing chords and huge turnpoints between upbeat and still parts. It kind of reminds of Tom Petty, even if it's only for the title. Tim has Tom as one of his inspirations, so...

"When The Night Calls" is the best track of the same titled album. It is so peaceful. So, so good. Very nostalgic and kind of feels like we are going on a journey and we are reaching the end, but there's the future waiting. The song feautured on the LP is different from the original, which was originally written, recorded and produced by Jesse, in 2013/2014, but he ended up taking it out of his SoundCloud, when they released Mt. Desolation's 2018 album. They're both good anyway, with this one being more "group-based" and more vast in terms of instruments, with more synthesizers, especially. It actually feels faster than the original one. 

"After You're Gone" is the most profund track. It's highly emotional. It sort of makes the heart cry (and the ears). It's definitely about love, loss and missing someone. The bet would be that Tim wrote this one inspired by his divorce. It's a journey through our deepest emotions and very well relates to the ones of us who have lost someone we loved, whether it's a breakup or a death. But don't give up on listening just because it's a sad and deep tune. You'll love it.

But the point here is that Mt. Desolation's music sure is an amazing listening experience. If you're thinking of making a car trip somewhere far from where you are then they are a real nice choice (and if you play the piano or the synth then it's also very well chosen...).

Review - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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