The Great Outdoors have already released two of their four ‘seasonal’ EP’s, Spring (QRO review) and Summer (QRO review), and now comes Fall. Whereas Spring was bright and Summer was some rockin’ fun, Fall is a return to the band’s sad, alt-folk roots. Each EP reflects their time of the year, showing different sides to the band, but all styles are done well.
Right from the start, opener “Under the Sun” lets the listener know that the leaves have changed and fallen to the ground since Summer, as The Great Outdoors mix relax and wistfulness in the alt-folk piece. Things get even sadder with “Macintosh Apples”, whose sway and carry are really unforgettable. A country-twang enters Fall with “Black Water Road”, but while that piece is still sad, the following “Ten Thousand Baby Birds” sees the guitar-rock of Summer return, Indian-style. Finisher “The Garden” is an extremely stripped piece of choral folk, reminiscent of the stripped Grateful Dead.
Even with global warming, December is still pretty late in the year to be releasing Fall. The Great Outdoors’ EPs have been coming out later & later, but there’s a reason for that: each EP has had one more song than the last. What’s more, each EP has more-and-more reflected their season, and even made the prior releases seem more reflective in retrospect. What more can one ask for from Winter (other than maybe coming out before baseball’s pre-season starts…)?
