Josh Buckley is a close friend.

Or at least that’s how he sings it. To the listener, he and his band, The Gilded Splinters go for intimacy. Having the pleasure of getting to listen to January, there is something concrete about The Gilded Splinters. Headed up by Josh Buckley, the band isn’t playing on any fad. Heartland rock, in the vein of early Wilco or The Band, is interspersed with cool vocal ballads. JP Bowersock, producer of The Strokes and Ryan Adams took to their work and really made the album kick. An extremely pleasurable mix. Buckley’s voice, admittedly, is surprising at first, but comes to be a realization of becoming unconstrained. This is how it is. Period.

But it is more than just songwriting. The Gilded Splinters aren’t on shaky foundations. They don’t rely on an obsessively complex chord structure or “what the hell?” instrumentation. They tell it as honestly as possible, and they’re rewarded. If anything is a lesson learned, January reminds us that there is nothing trite or shameful about a 3-chord progression and traditional configuration… if you do it right. So many bands today try it and just blend in. What The Gilded Splinters have is genuine emotion. You can get lost in Buckley’s wordplay and it doesn’t demand anything of itself. The listener is just as much a part of the music as the band.

Enjoy my selection:

MP3: The Gilded Splinters – “All Over Again”

MP3: The Gilded Splinters – “Haunted Child”

Buy January: iTunes Music Store | JoshBuckley.com

Create a long lasting friendship with The Gilded Splinters: MySpace