REDUX '11: Charlie Simpson

Charlie Simpson - Brit singer/songwriter, on hiatus from the band Fightstar, turns to a more acoustic troubadour style on his debut solo album...produced by Danton Supple (Coldplay, Doves) and influenced by Simpson heroes like Elliot Smith and Jeff Buckley, the music deftly straddles introspective coffee-house musings (with a double shot of stunning harmonies) and brisk, buskery tunecraft reimagined for a larger stage // Release: Young Pilgrim (August 16, U.K.) // Sounds like: While the intimate, close-quartered songs have a visceral immediacy, tracks like "Parachutes" and "Thorns" pull back the production curtain for a more full-bodied approach, leaning on strings, dense vocal layers and massive hooks...

Quote: "A lot of things on the album have layered harmonies which is an influence of stuff that I grew up listening to, that my dad put me onto actually -- Beach Boys, Jackson Browne, Crosby Stills and Nash...a lot of that stuff from the 70's that had that big vocal sound and I loved that...I knew that was the direction that I wanted to take...I love those records, they sound amazing." // What we like: "Down Down Down" is an instant favorite, an acoustic opening slowly morphs into a Paul-Buckmaster-styled string arrangement with a nice fuzzy guitar adding a cool retro touch...if Mumford and Sons spent a few blissful summers in Southern California instead of some grimy pub they might sound a bit like this...

Charlie Simpson - "Down Down Down" (from Young Pilgrim)

Charlie Simpson - "Thorns" (from Young Pilgrim)