If I told you that “Seeing This Way” is a long-lost, mid-60s West Coast paisley-pop tune from a band that used to open for The Mamas and the Papas, I doubt many people would argue. But the reality is that it is the product of Alan James’s one-man band, Beavoys, a band very much of the here-and-now.
Many artists look back to earlier influences and blend them into musical modernity to create a new and interesting sound. Beavoys go further than that, and “Seeing This Way” is the sound of someone fashioning an authentic and unbelievably accurate sound of the Summer of Love hoping to thaw this ever-growing Winter of Discontent that we find ourselves in.
Guitars chime with psychedelic precision; vocals are bathed in sonic sunlight; pop infection merges with hippy vibes; nostalgia is kept in check by creative adventure and familiarity is balanced with freshness.
It’s a great song and reminds us that pushing boundaries is okay, but the hard work has already been done and mining the sounds of the past can deliver gorgeous and graceful results. And “Seeing This Way” is the proof.
Discover more from Dancing About Architecture
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
[…] the previous single, “Seeing This Way” hooked into a sort of psychedelic, west-coast pop, we are in a more jazz-infused soundscape […]