I learned a great many things today. The first one being that it is actually possible to be locked inside your own apartment building. Sometime after that I learned about a dude named Liam Betson who has been releasing music under the moniker Liam the Younger for quite some time now. I know I can’t be the only one who missed out on After the Graveyard or Clear Skies Over Black River – as both albums have recently been re-released Underwater Peoples and Liam’s own label, A Learning Computer.
“Leaving Black River” is a simple folk tune off of Clear Skies... The song flows gracefully from lightly plucked string to lightly plucked string while Betson croons about the joys and pains of leaving your hometown behind. The middle section falls back into warm static-y silence that seems reminiscent of that fleeting moment when you’re not quite if sure leaving is the best decision. Before song’s end Liam and his guitar reassure us that it is, providing that the door will open.
Liam the Younger, “Leaving Black River” (Clear Skies Over Black River)
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Words: Marc Picciolo
After the Graveyard and Clear Skies Over Black River are now available on remastered vinyl from A Learning Computer and Underwater Peoples.
Tags: Clear Skies Over Black River, Leaving Black River, Liam the Younger, reissues, Underwater Peoples