With wild rhyme scheming tongue and cheek reflection, Wabi Sabi will steal the heart of any Phish phan. Their jams are coherent in their strange mix of blissful and longing, and out of all the bands I have heard in 2024 so far, these guys deliver the goods.
Their album, The Love Insane, is a mix of Beatles-esque bebop, swinging piano and guitar, with melancholy lyrics that still conjure a certain kind of American hopefulness. Take a listen to one of my favorite songs on their latest release, “The Truth,” and let us know what you think in the comments.
This is the first of our albums that I have produced myself. I was working on a couple of singles when Covid hit, and then I just started programming some new and old songs that I had never properly recorded. Then, one by one, I replaced all the parts with real Wabi Sabi musicians. We have never done an album this way, but Covid mixed with having a spare bedroom home studio seemed like the perfect time to try” – Damian Cartier
At five and a half minutes, these guys make meaningful jams that fly by. Simple but significant stuff, with a roaring dollop of musical intention. “The Truth” is a perfect beginning track for this project to throw “I Am Ok” to make your heart shudder. The Beatles references become Four Tops sentimentality dipped in the ever-present glow of a love long lost. They do with music what Zac Brown Band or Dave Matthews did before them; create tasty noodles of riffs through slightly thought-provoking bangers, with the intention of making you boogie, breakdown, and then smile through your pain.
The Love Insane does a lot with a little, and frankly, I love what Wabi Sabi are able to cook up. I found myself looking forward to every guitar lick. Even on songs that I hear out of date stale sounds, like “Manifest” for example, still contain groovy, funky and free-from-the-usual-follow-this-format type of genre rock, that sadly rules modern radio. The keyboard that starts the song is borderline Apple Garageband tier… and yet… those sonic walls of hipsterdom fell down upon me… and I started to get lost in the powered saxophone, hokey lyrics, and oddly tantalizing latin elements (the language, not that spicy music).
I really like this brand of shakedown, as a current Deadhead and phormer Phish phan, and while so many fans or musical imposters impersonate their idols, The Love Insane seem to be having a great old time just being their authentic, real ass selfs on this long, enduringly-bittersweet album. Sure, there are dull moments, but few and far between. After all, these guys are making tracks to help you get over sadness while reflecting on the ultimate beauty of feeling, well, anything at all.
For my money, any band that had a song title named after their entire album (let alone on track four of this eleven song release) is worth listening to. “Love is the answer, but here love is to blame, because we are just living… The Love Insane.” Robert Hunter eat your heart out!
If The Grateful Dead are The Simpsons, and Phish is Family Guy, Wabi Sabi are a full group version of the My Morning Jacket episode of American Dad… let’s all hope they keep making music. Damian Cartier and the melodic jewels backing him are onto something I think more people should listen to.
