Three Flights from Alto Nido

iTunes Review

The songs on Greg Laswell’s Three Flights from Alto Nido are as intimate as love letters and, at times, as stark as Post-It notes. This San Diego-rooted singer-songwriter builds much of his third release around simple, childlike melodies and emotionally unsettled lyrics. At times, the brooding atmosphere he creates is suggestive of Coldplay and John Mayer, but what makes his work distinctive is its sense of self-discovery. The process of songwriting is a reoccurring theme here — “And Then You,” “That it Moves,” and “How the Day Sounds” use the metaphor of music to explore relationships. Romantic ambivalence adds a wry twist to “It’s Been a Year,” while “Days Go On” spirals into dark obsession and “I’d Be Lying” gradually dissolves into fatalism. While the tunes are frequently on the minimalist side, there are elegant Beatles-like touches in “Not Out” and other tracks, and rolling drum lines and dabs of banjo and glockenspiel help lighten Laswell’s tendency to mope and murmur as a vocalist. The album has the overall charm of a misty-toned watercolor landscape, melancholy in tone yet graceful in execution. Alto Nido is worth visiting, even if its climate seems chronically overcast.