“Some People” by Nautical North is reflective and emotionally direct

Woven together from diverse backgrounds (folk, americana, blues, rock, pop and country), the 6-piece Swiss band, Nautical North, made up of PABLO DI LIONE (Lead Singer), JOËL EICHELBERGER (Guitar), LUZIA STANKOWSKI (Violin), FABRICE BRUNNER (Drums), ROMAN VOGLER (Hammond) and SIMON HOSTETTER (Bass), has something for every generation.

Nautical North has just recently released their 4-track Ep entitled, “Some People”. I think the overall cohesiveness of the mood is what is so striking about this Ep. Apart from the rollicking, “Sweden”, it’s subdued, and mild mannered with deep emotion. The melodies are beautifully orchestrated and crafted to weave between each other. It is a daring effort and it is successful at every turn.

From the deeply emotional “Keep Your Head Down” to the nostalgic “Talkin’ About The Music” and from the subtle and analytical title-track “Some People” to the aforementioned rocker “Sweden”, this Ep doesn’t fail. It stays fresh from beginning to end.

The opening track, “Keep Your Head Down” practically gives you the measure of the band. The track begins with a simple guitar strum and subtle organ phrase, slowly building to an intense crescendo –comprised of only the guitar, vocals and the ever-present organ. The straight-forward lyrics and the elegant instrumentation, creates a perfect blend between words and instruments that characterizes all of Nautical North most moving work on this Ep.

The closing track “Some People” builds off a simple acoustic-guitar riff to make a truly pertinent social statement – “Some people you just can’t reach no more, Some people you need to ignore”– ending off the Ep as emotionally as it started out.

Perhaps the most praise delivered to this Ep are earned by the pair of ‘serious’ songs that open and close “Some People”, as the middle pair of tracks offer more ‘carefree’ and ‘good time’ sensations.

Overall the songs have a wonderful fluidity to them; the different tracks never seem like definite breaks and interruptions. The layering of the music is just as impressive as the lyrics which are never too complex., ensuring that the Ep album remains consistently compelling, literally clutching your attention and not letting it go until the final track is completed.

A subtle mix of rock and folk and a little of something else inbetween, “Some People” by Nautical North is reflective and emotionally direct. Everything falls right into place. The songwriting is spot on, the performances are convincing and the production is organic, simply layered and uncluttered.