Easy Way

by The Cactus Blossoms

Overview

Easy Way seems to be an appropriate title for the sophomore set from the Cactus Blossoms, a Minneapolis-based brotherly duo who make no effort to disguise their enduring debt to the Everly Brothers. Like You're Dreaming before it, Easy Way leans into harmonies that recall Don and Phil, supporting this soft, supple blend with sounds that evoke a time before the Beatles. Unlike its 2016 predecessor, this 2019 album does nod toward the present, with the duo singing about pocket computers on the lively "Please Don't Call Me Crazy" and lamenting low wages on "Downtown," a song that conjures ghosts of the Petula Clark hit of the same name. Far from breaking the Cactus Blossoms' retro spell, these lyrics underscore how the group isn't content with re-creating the past. Rather, the duo is intent on extending a tradition, constructing songs with elements culled from a shared vocabulary and then finding emotional undercurrents that make their songs seem alive. Because the Cactus Blossoms move steadily and gracefully, they make this fusion seem easy, but that's a trick: Their music is subtly crafted and deeply felt, which means that for as comforting as Easy Way feels upon its first listen, it has the depth to not only last but improve with subsequent spins. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/01/2019
Label:	Walkie Talkie Records
UPC:	0634457897915
Rank:	72821

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Cactus Blossoms   Primary Artist
Tyler Burkum   Guitar (Electric),Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (12 String Electric)
Beau Sample   Bass (Upright)
Chris Hepola   Drums
Jack Torrey   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Page Burkum   Vocals,Chamberlin,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (12 String Acoustic)
Alex Hall   Drums,Organ,Piano,Percussion,Vibraphone,Synthesizer
Andy Carroll   Bass
Michael Lewis   Saxophone
Jacob Hanson   Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Lawrence Russell Brown   Composer
Paul Blackmore   Mastering
Jim Herrington   Photography
Michael Cina   Design
Jack Torrey   Composer,Producer,Group Member
Page Burkum   Composer,Producer,Group Member
Alex Hall   Mixing,Engineer
Levi Stugelmeyer   Engineer
Dan Auerbach   Composer
Tom Herbers   Engineer