Kramies and the stripped back embryonic intimacies of "Days Of" - acoustic version

 

photo courtesy of Derek Lajoie

I was first introduced to Kramies as a solo artist when I reviewed his emotionally imploding track "Hotel In L.A." back in June of 2022 from his stunning eponymous album. I described the song having an "opaque bleakness" within it's trippy nature, it's beauty and it's stark candor. Before the album dropped we had a chance to chat via Zoom (see below) and we discussed the nature of the album and the emotional seeds of the diverse wash of songs and such, I learned that about half of the songs were recorded as solo (mostly) acoustic imaginings, some pretty much live.

I found it interesting that Kramies, in the true spirit of self discovery and experimentation, felt comfortable handing those personal recordings to other collaborators and letting them 'mess' with them. It sounds like an easy thing to do but then I know many artists who could not do this in the same way. In the end those songs were shaped and elevated by so many talented artists like Jason Lytle of Grandaddy (produced and played), Jerry Becker of Train (produced and played), Patrick Carney of The Black Keys (produced and played), Tyler Ramsey formally of Band of Horses (played), Jim Bogios of Counting Crows (played), Todd Tobias - Guided by Voices (produced), David Goodheim (played), Allison Lorenzen (played) andJohn Panza (played).

NOW, I am so pleased to see that Kramies is releasing the four of the 'main' songs from the aforementioned 2022 self titled album "Kramies", in their original undecorated acoustic state. I love this. This is the 2023 rare acoustic release on VanGerrett Reords, will undoubtedly breed a different view, understanding of these songs. 

As I listen to "Days Of" (acoustic version) that was the second track off of "Kramies", there are obvious differences from the former release. The bending garden rock guitars from the intro are absent and throughout much of the other worldly orchestration is gone too. What is left is more intimate. Kramies beautifully emotive voice is upfront, the presence of normal things like hints of breath, emotional depth and repose wrap around you more, and the soaring sections of vox during the outro really hit you in the gut. I would be hard pressed to tell you which version I like more but pushed up against the wall, if one would have to be destroyed (yes, a bit dramatic), I would want this stripped back version with me when I get stranded on that proverbial island. 

Lucky for me I don't have to make that decision. 

-Robb Donker Curtius

Link to my (original) "Hotel in L.A." review:

https://www.americanpancake.com/2022/07/kramies-and-beautiful-opaque-bleakness.html


Link to my Kramies You Tube Zoom Interview:https://www.youtube.com/watchv=maoyGiCdwAw&t=644s

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://soundcloud.com/kramies

https://www.facebook.com/kramies/

https://twitter.com/kramies

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2nJoTFq3w9UjrqtsyZVzOG

https://kramies.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kramies/

https://kramies.com/


Along with his critically acclaimed EP The Wooden Heart, as well as Of All The Places Been & Everything The End produced by Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices) Jerry Becker (Train), Kramies has worked and performed with known artists such as Grandaddy, Clexico, and Spiritualized and many others. In 2021 Kramies teamed up with Patrick Carney of The Black Keys to produce his first Top 10 radio single "Days Of". By the beginning of 2022 Kramies had two top ten songs on college radio and is slated for his first highly anticipated LP in September of 2022.

With a career spanning almost fifteen years and a long string of releases that have earned him the title of “the dream-pop troubadour”, Kramies’ knack for eerie and ethereal songwriting has gained the attention of Billboard, Clash, NPR and the BBCamongst others, with his most recent single “Hotel in LA” being praised for its “ethereal quality of a waking dreamscape” by Under The Radar. Much of his success has come from his ability to be himself and stick to his clear artistic vision, and this new LP sees Kramies grow even more comfortable with his own unique way of working.

Pushing his craft as an outsider who has firmly forged his own path, the self-titled release is not just the next step for Kramies on his path as an artist, but an assured new beginning for him as a whole.

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