With his pastoral north woods orchestrations and evocative soundscapes, Wisconsin native
S. Carey
channels his admiration for American naturalist
John Muir
on 2014's
Range of Light
. Expanding upon the tones of his 2010 debut,
All We Grow
,
Carey
digs even deeper with this detailed paean to California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. With roots in classical, jazz, and pop, he approaches his music more as a composer than a songwriter, echoing the type of sprawling modernist Americana that
Sufjan Stevens
first introduced a decade earlier. Borrowing the album's title from
Muir
's description of the mighty Sierras,
is indeed loftier and more ambitious than its predecessor both in its inspiration and sonic scope. Where
handled most of
on his own,
features a small orchestra of collaborators adding additional voices (most notably,
Bon Iver
bandmate
Justin Vernon
), woodwinds, horns, strings, and other decorum to tone poems like "Fire-Scene" and "Alpenglow." With his gentle, earnest voice,
imbues the album with a folk flavor that matches his naturalist aesthetic. The production is clean, warm, and full of detail, letting the arrangements breathe for the most part. But, as lovingly arranged and as beautifully recorded as the album is, there is still a feeling of having heard many of these styles before, especially on songs like the polyrhythmic "Crown the Pines," which could be an outtake from
'
Greetings from Michigan
album. Other comparisons to folk-pop heroes like
Iron & Wine
aren't out of place either, but
's unifying theme of the Sierra range is heartfelt, and when enjoyed as a whole, the album succeeds as a unique effort that is familiar, yet distinct and extremely personal. ~ Timothy Monger