Doug Tuttle: It Calls on Me

Doug Tuttle’s new record, It Calls on Me, drifts through its songs with chiming, layered guitars and dreamy vocals to create a comforting and bittersweet vibe that carries through the entire record. At first blush, the gauzy strumming of “Painted Eye”, the pastoral roll of “It Call on Me”, and/or the drifting echoes and expanse of “Saturday-Sunday” would make you think of ’70s singer-songwriter records; but, the more you dig into It Calls on Me, the more it seems less nostalgic and more timeless, compressing the timeline of music into once dense, complex ball of sound. There’s plenty of Gram Parson’s Cosmic America here, but there’s also a heavy spoonful of the Flaming Lips’ The Soft Bulletin. Beyond all the haze and layers, though, what makes the record work is the propulsive rhythms underneath. This isn’t music content to get lost in its own fever dream; rather, It Calls on Me is always moving forward, always chugging with energy, and it takes the listener along for the ride. At 29 minutes in length, it doesn’t waste a second, yet what’s here is strong enough to make you you wish the ride lasted longer.