Peer Validated

Pictured: So very pleased with himself.

Miracle Fortress is another self-recorded, one man band from Canada. Of course, I’m going to say that you wouldn’t know it just by listening. Graham Van Pelt, who recently played on tour with Wolf Parade and Art Brut, recorded his new release Five Roses in his venue/studio in Montreal with walls of stacks of electric guitars and overdubbed vocals. The characteristic that sets Van Pelt apart from others is the care and genuineness he puts into music. He focuses on a melancholy kind of simplicity, but fills each part to the brim with warm, sugar and sweet sounds. The songs on Five Roses don’t really follow any formulas or particular direction. There’s no transition from verse to chorus, rather they patiently evolve from one thing into the next, adding more and more to the melting pot that began as one thing and molded into something completely different and far bigger.

Miracle Fortress - Next Train

Next Train is a real slow burner, but I dig. He talks about Wisconsin girls too, so there’s that.