Fresh Faced Artist: Continental Divide

Calling an artist "honest" is an ambiguous statement. In the words of a good man: all bad art is honest. Identifying the wheat from the chaff is a difficult task, and I'll admit personal opinion plays a large role in the process. If I feel akin to an artist, it is easier for me to accept moments of blunt lyricism or simplified musicianship. I've grown to view Ben Gibbard, Jamie Stewart and Conor Oberst as if they were family; however, I respect a well crafted argument opposing their musical approach.

Continental Divide is honest. I like Continental Divide. Some will agree, some will not - thus the divide. The purpose of RC's Fresh Faced Artist series is to introduce artists during the early stages of their musical careers. Nathan (songwriter) sent me an EP he recorded in his bedroom, and I immediately connected with it.

The production is very unpolished, capturing a live feel similar to early Bright Eyes. It exists as an uncut diamond-- rough but valuable. The EP also proves that Continental Divide is well versed in a slew of indie rock sounds. For example, "Track #1" nails a moody Pedro The Lion bass riff, with an equally culling vocal melody. Lyrically, Nathan presents an unchecked evocation of his thoughts, which adds further intimacy to the EP. This is where the grey area of "honesty" comes in. The spectrum is established with Elliott Smith on the genius end, and the guy from Dashboard Confessional on the not-so-good end. In my eyes, Nathan ends up on the right side of the grey matter. His literal storytelling is unforced and has a unique poetic quality, which draws the listener in. If Nathan does have a bit of Conor in him, I can't wait to hear his next batch of recordings.

Be sure to download the tracks below, and to visit Continental Divide's myspace page here. Nathan is currently in the process of recording, and will be touring, so keep a close watch on CD's site.

[mp3] Continental Divide - Track #1

One more track to come!