Dry Stick - “Let It Burn”
Ahead of his upcoming LP, The Isolation Tapes, Denmark-based folk-rock artist Kudre Haan, aka Dry Stick, has just delivered the gritty Americana sounds of “Let It Burn.”
It’s not entirely easy to fill our niche for Americana without dipping too far into the waters of alt-country, but Dry Stick has a unique gift for only employing the appropriate amount of twang, landing a sound that would fit quite nicely booming from the speakers on a midnight drive to nowhere. “Let It Burn” begins with the spacious notes from a cathedral organ, saturating the entire soundscape with its glorious tones. A minimalistic beat maintains the foundation, with delicate moments surrendered to sweet cries from a lap steel.
The chords of an acoustic guitar appear in the arrangement and Haan begins his gritty vocal performance. He’s been blessed with the kind of voice that permeates life experience, warmly reminiscent of Welsey Shultz and Taylor Meier– his delivery is so authentic and sincere that you are bound to believe every word. The production has come equipped with the magnificent, swelling support of My Merry Monday Gospel Choir and, when combined with the organ, one should not be surprised if “Let It Burn” conjures some sort of out-of-body experience.
The track dynamically shifts as it naturally crescendos, utilizing a more robust beat, then adding and subtracting elements in order to exercise some dramatic ebb and flow. The final third of the tune reveals a fantastic and genre-appropriate guitar solo that carves a path through the angelic backing vocals. If “Let It Burn” is any indication of what the rest of the record has in store, then please join us as we eagerly await March 8th and release of The Isolation Tapes.
-HD