Track Review: Blue and Green // Bits of Alan
After releasing their debut EP Stories in 2014, debut full-length album Paper Boats in 2017 and several singles between then and now, Bits of Alan is a critically acclaimed folk-rock group from the USA. Combining the talents of singer-songwriter Greg Golbitz with drummer/producer Joe Venango and multi-instrumentalists Ethan Stauffer and Fred Keller, Bits of Alan is innovative, original and addictive. One of the latest additions to their growing discography is the single ‘Blue and Green’.
Recorded in Pennsylvania at Everloft Studios, ‘Blue and Green’ is a soothing, flowing and intimate folk-rock performance. Unlike the more upbeat and toe-tapping new single ‘Cooking Breakfast’, ‘Blue and Green’ retains an authenticity that can only be achieved by stripped-back acoustic performances. The barebones element of the single enhances the significance of the single, as well as evoking soul-stirring emotions in the listener.
Being a greater fan of pop-punk, alternative rock and nu-metal, I don’t come across many folk groups; however, this does not mean I do not appreciate the genre. In fact, some of the most compelling melodies are from Carol King, America and Simon and Garfunkel – and this is clearly seen in Bits of Alan. With Greg’s dulcet vocals atop an endearing melody, ‘Blue and Green’ is sincere, wistful and quite beguiling.
Side note: ‘Blue and Green’ is the first single from Bits of Alan’s upcoming album Slatland.