Gregg Garvey gets inside your head with his lush and lovely new album Time To Dream — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A shimmering collection of genre-bending beauty that amalgamates everything from Baroque-tinged folk-pop and western roots rock to post-glam soul-pop and low-dosage psychedelia, the Minnesota singer-songwriter’s latest release invites you to slow down, relax and appreciate life in the moment — just as he does.
As is clear from these 10 impeccably crafted and superbly executed songs, Garvey enjoys the process of sound creation with a focused attention to the uncovered melodic details that intrigue him. A sweeping and carefully constructed suite of tightly crafted songs, these elegantly layered, intimately cinematic tracks were fittingly influenced by old film scores, progressive folk, acid Americana, and vintage country. The album reportedly took Garvey several years to complete — but the final product reveals itself to be entirely worth the wait.
With his crooning baritone voice, Garvey blasts off into the opening number Strange Vision, a music vignette about an astronaut’s first view of the earth from the depths of space. A “tiny ball that shines… tightly tethered with its ribbon of life… as if sacred were the sight of it,” he sings. The lyric can be considered a synopsis for the album, as most of the music and ideas it contains are imbued with a certain reverence for their subjects. Subjects such as birth and renewal, childhood curiosity and impatience, searching transition, age and hindsight. Each juxtaposition pondered from a dreaming troubadour, rendered with a fuzzy impressionism, but above all, compassionate shining light.
Garvey honed his self-taught musical skills in the rural Moose Lake area of Minnesota. A transitional period in Minneapolis allowed for his growth as a writer and performer, culminating in an album, two EPs, tours, and several television music placements with garage band The Brutes. Now in Los Angeles, Garvey has taken a deep dive into his particular brand of dreamy pop and folk rock, inspired by visionary artists such as Scott Walker, Gene Clark, David Sylvian and Nick Drake. He released his debut solo album in 2016.
Listen to Time To Dream and watch his videos below, and spend some time with Gregg Garvey on his website, Instagram and Facebook.
