Asheville’s The Dead Tongues (a.k.a Ryan Gustafson) follows his critically acclaimed and somewhat overlooked 2016 release Montana with Unsung Passage – another album chronicling his travels with mellow acoustic Americana/Roots songs that explore heartbreak, loneliness, love, and mortality. If you’ve never heard of the Dead Tongues before, Gustafson started in an indie rock band called Boxbomb before going solo under his own name and releasing 2009’s Donkey LP. As The Dead Tongues for the past three albums (Desert, Montana and Unsung Passage), Gustafson has become an integral musician in a North Carolina collective of artists like Hiss Golden Messenger (MC Taylor) and Phil Cook. Much like MC Taylor, Gustafson experiments with traditional Southern music with layered arrangements and introspective lyrics. Standouts on Unsung Passage include: the folk song “Won’t Be Long”; the mesmerizing banjo tinged “Ebb and Flow”; the beautiful “Pale November Dew”; the soulful introspection of “Thunder and Crash”; and the gorgeous song “The Giver.” If you are into Americana/roots music, then Ryan Gustafson is a name you should become familiar with – his music is authentic, honest and striking. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Phil Cook, Hiss Golden Messenger, Mount Moriah, Jonah Tolchin