Tyler Ramsey

A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea

(Echo Mountain)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

They say opposites attract, but that’s not the story of how Tyler Ramsey opened for - and then became a member of - Band of Horses.  Ramsey and BoH frontman Ben Bridwell share Carolina roots, big beards, and a taste for reflective, country-tinged indie-rock that knows how to kick up its heels from time to time.  So, yes, sometimes opposites attract, but if you threw Ramsey in a police lineup and asked someone to pick out the member of Band of Horses, he’d be pretty sure to be pointed out.

And now the talented singer/songwriter finds himself in the enviable position of being part of an extremely engaging (and pretty successful) indie-rock band - which means he gets to do things like meet Conan O’Brien - while also still supporting the fruits of his own labor:  A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea (released January 15th).

Ramsey does most of the heavy lifting on the album, singing sensitively, playing guitar, and tickling the ivories; he’s helped along by Bill Reynolds (upright bass) and Brian Landrum (drums).  His vocals don’t exactly jump out of the crowd - he falls somewhere in the shared terrain of Ray LaMontagne and Mt. Egypt and Neil Young and Jackson Browne (he covers Browne’s “These Days” - again, seemingly not a case of opposites attracting).

He may be more of a stand-out on guitar; the meditative acoustic guitar on “Ships” is perfectly placed, and given just the right additional seasoning with Rayna Gellert’s restrained fiddle playing.  “Once In Your Life” is another highlight, starting simple with a repetitive melody and a delicate vocal harmony about true love.  Soft and mushy stuff, you say?  Sure, and it builds nicely for a few minutes, with a polite vibraphone adding texture while Ramsey continues to sing about love.  Then the song takes an unexpected twist, galloping off into a mid-tempo gallop, again with repetitive lyrics - except this time the true love has been replaced by frustration (“I can’t wait for you to call me / I can’t wait another day”).  Then the song shifts into high gear, with honky-tonk piano, yee-haw guitar and more boisterous singing - again with the pretty harmonies, but this time about getting drunk and high and forgetting about you.  True love loses, but the listener wins.