Go By Ocean
Marin County, CA-based musician Ryan McCaffrey, aka Go By Ocean, has just released the new LP, Can I Communicate With the Unknown? And from this body of work, we received the single, “Ballad of a Masquerade,” a warm, nostalgic tune with a nice, effortless feel.
“Ballad of a Masquerade” begins as though a classic ballad, thanks to the cozy sounding piano tones. As the song progresses, touches of electric guitar are used to fill spaces in the arrangement, while a deep bass provides a solid foundation. The drums also have a tasty, vintage appeal as they gently push the song forward.
The addition of a clarinet is the finishing touch that the music needed and we really enjoyed this melodic choice, as it gives the song a timeless and refined elegance. The guitar solo is understated, but it provides the recording with a bit of a dreamy and introspective atmosphere. The vocals on this track are performed gently and have a real sense of sincerity as they deliver the well-written lyrics.
“Ballad of a Masquerade” is such a well-crafted song that we could not help but dip our feet into more tunes from the record. The song, “Autumn Days in Olema” will put its hooks into you from the very first note, which is primarily due to the glorious “ooooh” backing vocals. If you have ever read a single page of this blog, you’ll know that our ‘ooooh-obsession’ runs rather deep. This track is a beautiful slice of Americana and features a collaboration with Tim Bluhm and David Glasebrook. The vibey guitar and lap steel are totally worth the price of admission– and that’s just the tip of this musical iceberg, as the vocals will reach right into your chest and caress your heart with every syllable.
And for you purveyors of a more classic folk sound, you are absolutely going to love “Right Moon,” which is a triumphant tune built around an acoustic guitar foundation. There’s a reason that McCaffrey let this one close the new record and the pocket that the drums and bass fill are going to have you coming back for multiple listens. While we always insist that we do not have the time to review EPs or LPs, it is an album like Can I Communicate With the Unknown? that will make us eat our words. We will be spinning the hell out of this record for the rest of the summer.
For your convenience, here is a shortcut to the entire album:
-John Michie and TM