Return To The Center. It’s excellent advice.
I’ve been reading and practicing Buddhism again recently, and the title of Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter John Condit’s new record reminds me of how we call Buddhism the “Middle Way.” Our minds get distracted, and we’re reminded to return to the moment, and our inhales and exhales.
John Condit has been active in the Nashville music community for several years, and this new record was also a few years in the making. From what I’ve read in his social media posts, he put his whole being into it, crafting seven tracks worth of psychedelia that distill his talents and experience up to this point.
Condit writes that this new solo work is a departure from his long-time psych rock band, The Inscape, a well-known Nashville act he fronted for years. Fans of The Inscape will recognize Condit’s sense of groove and space on Return To The Center, but the solo work is undeniably more polished.
John is also coming off a period as a member of singer/songwriter Lily Hiatt’s band, where he toured the world and contributed to Hiatt’s critically acclaimed albums Trinity Lane and Walking Proof.
On Return To The Center, Condit settles into the psychedelia and acid folk where he feels most comfortable – a sound that owes as much to the indie rock of Caribou as to the psych of Brian Jonestown Massacre. But it’s clear John has also pushed himself into new territory, capturing a sense of classic psych-rock tones and feelings that harken to earlier times.
Tracks like “Chase the Sun” are washed-out and, indeed, sun-drenched psych-rock that feels situated on the West Coast. “Craving Connection” features the same hazed-out vocals but has a harder edge.
“Participation” is more mellow, featuring pleasant acoustic guitar picking and Condit’s ethereal vocals. “Not Afraid” could be an anthem for our era, and musically, the song soars and swells like something from The Flaming Lips.
“Think Too Much” – that’s a problem we all tend to have, right? Condit mediates on this over the nearly seven-minute jam and works it out. Perhaps he encountered the “monkey mind” while sitting on the cushion and turned to his guitar instead to find the answer.
“Return To The Center” lives up to its title track status, as Condit urges us—and perhaps himself—to lower the temperature and stay in the moment. Like other songs on the record, musically, it has a distinctly early-psych-folk sound. Or, as John calls it, “Surreal Americana” – which has a great ring to it.
“Being” closes the record with a burst of psychedelic energy. The song has a powerful chorus that brims with vitality and color.
Return To The Center is a terrific record from a Nashville veteran who put a lot of energy into making something special.
At less than thirty minutes, it packs a punch of great songwriting and instrumentation, all handled by John, along with some guest appearances (such as Luke Schneider on pedal steel on tracks 1, 4, and 5).
So, go ahead: return to the center with Condit and use his new LP as a means of spiritual cleansing and reminder to stay present to the eternal now.
Check out Return To The Center by John Condit on Bandcamp here.
Leave a Reply