Writing of album leaf heap back in 2019, we described the music of Pittsburgh‘s vireo as a marriage of “acoustic instrumentation with DIY percussion and soundscapes,” a style which supported lead Chris Beaulieu’s lyrical exploration of the interface between natural and human systems. “The album is suffused with a sense of quiet joy,” we wrote, “even at it’s most wistful moments.” A kind of eco-folk which helps remind us of our place within the wider environment, and contextualise our own petty concerns.
This summer saw the release of moss longing, a brand new vireo album which furthers this eco-folk style. Set against a backdrop of wild field recordings and possessing a wilder carefree spirit, lead single ‘Coyote’ introduced the themes of the collection. Songs centring on “climate anxiety, folklore, wanderlust and children’s books” wrapped in Beaulieu’s distinctively earnest tone. “Shaded by a sense of sadness,” as we put it in a preview, “but not beholden to it.”
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The mood encapsulates the record as a whole. Be it the meditative kalimba-driven sound of opener ‘Talkings’ or the odd yet upbeat ‘Dance of the Travelling Screams’, vireo’s songs seem permeated by a boundless energy. As though tapping into the land and ecosystems it houses and playing back the rhythms it finds there. Even the more reserved tracks are brought to life in vivid detail, be it the reflective warmth of ‘Kin’ or guarded mystery of ‘Night Eye’, its strange nocturnal tones shimmering mirage-like, a thousand shapes moving in the dark.
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The latter hints at something else abundant across the album. Because for all of vireo’s grounding in the natural world, there’s a spiritual or mythic quality to their songs too. The sense something older and more fantastic lies within the wild. That nature is more than the sum of its parts. With its titular magic trout, ‘Prize Fish’ deals with this more directly. A song about losing one’s religion which nevertheless allows another form of wonder into the world.
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With moss longing, vireo holds up eco-folk as a kind of renewable creative energy. A source of inspiration to be cherished, held dear and protected with unapologetic vehemence. “I’m out on the water / where the mist whispers / stories indiscernible,” Beaulieu sings on ‘Wist/Mist’. “Let’s whittle the words into something useful / to keep our tiny selves afloat.”
moss longing is out now and available from the vireo Bandcamp page.
