A Command To Gently Sway
It shouldn’t be entirely surprising that Healing Potpourri’s third outing Blanket of Calm kicks off with an homage to one of the most highly-regarded, if under-respected, bands in all of classic American rock. Squint through the slight tempo change and brush away the sheen of its updated timbre and it’s unmistakable: Steely Dan’s iconic percussion intro to “Do It Again” - but where the Dan uses it as a launching pad for some ear-candy guitar noodling that morphs into a legendary laid-back jam, the San Francisco band zags its table-setting intro “Dream Vacay” into decidedly different territory. In this context, a moment of comforting familiarity is used to brace the audience for a detour into more diverse aural terrain that manages the paradox of lightly subverting expectations but always feeling a bit like home.
The surprises don’t stop there. Looking down the roster of Run For Cover Records’ artists, HP stands out for a few reasons. Their name itself jumps off the page when stacked next to the rest of the label’s acts: mewithoutyou, Elvis Depressedly, glass beach, etc. Where RFC’s output tends to veer toward established emo-adjacent sounds and more vanguard edginess, Healing Potpourri offers something genuinely soothing, graceful, and indebted to a collective nostalgia while not being in its thrall. The mastermind of all this amiability, Simi Sohota, comes from a musical background steeped in “rowdy punk to psych to black metal”, and this is a surprise in itself when evaluating the particular musical identity of Blanket.
A few years ago, the term “yacht rock” began to come back en vogue. This descriptor arises from music popularized in the 70’s and 80’s that encompassed leisure and comfort in tennis-club clothing that appealed to an emerging middle class of pop culture, those who had brand new Chevy Camero’s and suburban malls to visit. The vibes were genial and carefree, sometimes more than a little lovelorn (think Hall & Oates, Doobie Brothers, Toto, etc). This was music that can be seen in retrospect to be more about vibe and tone than it could ever be about songs at the individual level. To lose oneself in yacht rock was to be ensconced in a perfect day or situation and have the music merely playing a supporting role in that enjoyment.
Sohota and company show they have a massive well of respect for these dulcet and breezy tones from the not-too-distant past. Their formidable ability to begin with that as a base and then use dollops of contemporary sounds like Beach Fossils and sprinkles of Toro y Moi as added flavor comes through in their methodology throughout Blanket of Calm. The title track’s backing flute is a call to harmony, a songbird buried in but shining through a chorus of them. “Laney”’s samba-licious strum intro is an invitation to dance, or a command to gently sway depending on one’s mood at the time. Centerpiece “Dustin’s Rain Tape” features arguably the best lyrical turn on the LP, an evocation of memory for that one friend you miss and can never shake from the mind, replete with gossamer guitar licks and the titular rain sounds. “Glittery Sidewalks” ends the cycle and brings it all home with horns, flowing vocal melodies, and an amount of panache that can only be lauded for its restraint.
The mixing/mastering job here deserves accolades as well. Each of the instruments (and there are many at times) sits pensively in its sonic groove and never overreaches. The bass is present but it never becomes the impetus for the sonics, which is a welcomed change from many albums released today as society continues its long recovery from the loudness war. All in all, the mix sounds like A.M. radio gold, all open arms and cheeky smiles inviting us inside the party or onto the slightly elevated stage to take part in the festivities along with the band - there is no elitism to this sound, only positivity.
Blanket of Calm is the rare album that delivers on its title: a tour de force thesis statement for the power of familiarity and ease. It only challenges preconceptions, and even these moments are handled with kid gloves; the end result is nothing short of brilliant in a world where uplift is the order of the day. Spending forty minutes under this blanket is time with old friends and known sounds executed in striking new ways that allow for repeating as often as needed. If there is truly nothing new under the sun, it’s indescribably comforting to have a collection as well-curated as this.
