From Dreams to Dust

by The Felice Brothers

Overview

While Ian Felice is a real person, the persona he's fashioned over the course of the Felice Brothers' recording career seems to have strolled out of a novel set in the Deep South in the early years of the 20th century, where his character is a boozy yet personable self-styled philosopher never at a loss for some lopsided wisdom on life's passing parade. Ian's character seemed to be wrestling with the precarious balance of breezy wit and the obstacles of living in America in 2019 on the Felice Brothers' Undress, and he's still figuring out the proportions on 2021's From Dreams to Dust. However, From Dreams to Dust feels more comfortable and confident in the belief that we're living in a difficult time and must acknowledge the gravity of the moment, even if we can't help but snicker about it every once in a while. Though mounting a soapbox is a relatively new concept for Felice, you wouldn't know it from listening to From Dreams to Dust. These songs are full of a wobbly confidence that puts a tight focus on the personal and political, lashing out at a world of waste and injustice ("To-Do List," "Money Talks") while Felice wavers between a playful appreciation of his own eccentricity ("Jazz on the Autobahn") and a less charitable observer who has something timely and eloquent to say. The band's ragged but right grooves are in especially good shape this time out: Ian's vocals and guitar hit a deft sweet spot between thoughtful and surreal, and his multi-instrumentalist brother James Felice and the rhythm section of bassist Jesske Hume and drummer Will Lawrence have taken the notion of loosely tight and given it flesh, lending their indie folk melodies a framework that has just enough give but never falls over. It's anyone's guess what manner of global calamity will greet the Felice Brothers the next time they go into the recording studio, but if From Dreams to Dust gives us anything to go by, they'll approach it with wisdom and heart, two qualities this album has in healthy quantities. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	03/04/2022
Label:	Yep Roc
UPC:	0634457055650
Rank:	70015

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Felice Brothers   Primary Artist
Nate Walcott   Horn
Mike Mogis   Marxophone,Pedal Steel
James Felice   Piano,Voices,Accordion,Keyboards
Will Lawrence   Drums,Voices,Percussion
Ian Felice   Guitar,Voices
Jesske Hume   Bass,Voices

Technical Credits

Nate Wood   Engineer,Mastering
The Felice Brothers   Producer
Mike Mogis   Mixing
James Felice   Composer,Engineer
Richard Walker   Photography
Ian Felice   Composer
Nathan Golub   Graphic Design