Spurred by his wife Pam’s terminal illness, singer, songwriter and guitarist Guy Capecelatro III translated his emotions onto tape, aiming to release Hope Is the Thing With Feathers before her earthly life drew to a close.
Recruiting several musician friends to chip in on vocals, guitar and string arrangements, Guy crafted a statement bleeding with naked honesty. Lyrics expressing fear and anxiety, incorporated with tender words of love and affection, costume the songs, while the sonic mood is slicked with the kind of sorrow so sad that it is beautiful.
“Hollow Reminders,” the first track on the album, pretty much sets the tone of the tunes to follow. Sleepy vocals rub elbows with floaty and fragile melodies, managing an approach that is practical yet direct. Although there are moments when Guy Capecelatro and his pals raise the volume a couple of notches and turn in craggy and combative Neil Young-inspired guitar stunts, Hope Is the Thing With Feathers (Burst and Bloom Records) logically centers upon soft and slow-moving procedures.
Each cut on the disc imparts its own meaning and purpose in a poetic and precise manner, with numbers like “Hospital Days,” “Light Me Up,” “Watch the World Divide” and “You Were a Carousel” particularly prone to attracting attention. Along with the previously noted Neil Young reference, strands of bands like R.E.M. and Teenage Fan Club also periodically creep into the stew.
Tragedy often produces great art, and such a remark certainly rings true when it comes to Hope Is the Thing With Feathers. Good for Guy Capecelatro for channeling his pain into something so sweet, caring and heartbreakingly therapeutic. Not only that, but Hope Is the Thing With Feathers was completed while Pam was still here, making the project even all the more special.
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