On his second EP, this Madison singer-songwriter finds symbols of emotion embedded in the natural landscape. "The devil's fire dancing across Lake Erie" reflects dark and feverish dreams on "Extinguish." A seed blowing in the wind and looking for fertile soil is like a heart searching for love on "Blue Mountain Thistle."
The EP's five tracks reveal Hart's stylistic range. The pedal steel of "Winter Bones" heralds a country-folk loneliness. The brisk percussion and jangly banjo of "Paper Fins" gravitate toward pop.
Hart's vocals stand out. Impressionistic lyrics are typically sung quietly, softly, but Hart lets his words soar with strength and hang in a dreamy fog all at once.
The instrumentation is lush. The song structures are mature. The disc is a gorgeous collection of sounds that, like nature, soothe the soul.
