Six Parts Seven: Casually Smashed to Pieces

Kent, Ohio’s Six Parts Seven describe themselves as music-lovers first, musicians second, humbly incorporating everything they love about the art form into their own compositions. They also claim to be untrained but you wouldn’t know it, producing a string of intricately arranged instrumental records, the latest of which is Casually Smashed to Pieces. The compositions range from the brief, pastoral, banjo-laced opener “Conversation Heart” to the more slow-building “Awaiting Elemental Breakdown”. These are songs for folks who find isolation comforting, aren’t afraid of reflection or long commutes, and are masters of conversational subtext. Fans of Red House Painters/Mark Kozelek should fine much to love in the shifting currents of “Confusing Possibilities”, its surprising yet beautiful melodies like looking at your lover’s reflection in the mirror.