Self-released

Assembly Of Dust singer/songwriter/ guitarist Reid Genauer has described The Band’s Music from Big Pink as a huge reason why he decided to become a musician. He was particularly inspired by the album’s production value and the intimate experience of listening to the analog recording through “a big old set of headphones.” Sun Shot, AOD’s fourth studio release, is just that – a headphone record. It’s an aesthetic that Genauer came across while listening to Ray LaMontagne’s God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise, which led him to seek out engineer Ryan Freeland. That’s not to say that Sun Shot is a mellow, solemn record. On the contrary, songs such as the slow-building title track and “Myth Of Mine,” with a fiery electric finale, are among the band’s most rock oriented, while “Weehawken Ferry” is an upbeat jazzy dirge and “Mrs. What You Are” is fast in tempo and instantly catchy, thanks to three-part harmonies. The lovely, swelling opener “Grey Believer” and “Unvarnished” offer more vocal harmonies and pastoral acoustic arrangements. “Silver And Worn” features the lulling tones of vintage Hammond organ and steel guitar as a metaphor for hanging on to one’s past. Sun Shot is an organic and authentic studio record that couldn’t be made on a home computer, nor should it be heard that way.