The Autumn Defense - Once Around

For the past decade Wilco's John Stirrat and Pat Sanson have done a bit of moonlighting on the side as The Autumn Defense with an amalgam of styles that lean heavily on the leather-fringed 70's acoustic SoCal country/rock of Neil Young and America and the Brit Invasion pop/rock snuggled somewhere between The Beatles and Squeeze. Harmonies and sunny melodies prevail and the mood is one of blissed nostalgia but the duo's thoughtful, highly respectable songcraft and refined instrumental chops elevate their fourth Autumn Defense project Once Around (November 2, Yep Roc) to higher if not hallowed ground.

Sansone admits that they needed to "reconnect with why we do this" after the pair's self-titled third album in 2007 and much inspiration was found when they participated in Crowded House founder Neil Finn's 2009 7 World's Collide charity project. It also didn't hurt that they witnessed other respected indie bands succeed with a similar set of influences. “Seeing a lot of the newer, vocal based groups like Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes makes me appreciate the vocal sound that we’ve always had,” Stirratt notes. “It's prompted me to highlight the harmony aspect of our group even more than before.” Songs such as lead track "Back of My Mind", ticking psychedelic-tinged folk ballad "Once Around" and the jangling Buffalo Springfield-styled "Every Day" practically ooze familiarity, classic-sounding nuggets that seem pulled from some long lost 8-track hidden under the car seat.

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The Autumn Defense - "Back of My Mind" (from the album Once Around)

The Autumn Defense - Once Around sampler  ("Allow Me", "Huntington Fair", "The Rift")