A release he referred to as "my dystopian farm/phone-themed album,"
The Greener Pasture
is the third full-length from Indiana singer/songwriter
Peter Oren
. It follows an equally socially conscious second album,
Anthropocene
. While that record was more concerned with climate change,
considers our increased reliance on smartphones as well as certain destructive trends in farming, environmentalism, and larger politics. In keeping with the album's phone-related themes of isolation,
Oren
decamped to a cabin in the woods outside of Nashville to record it. The resulting tracks do include the participation of several long-distance collaborators as well as friends and local musicians who stopped by, including
Mark Edlin
, who plays drums on the record. Wide-ranging stylistically while remaining under the broad umbrella of indie folk, it navigates lively folk-rock and country-rock, rustic acoustic balladry, and even dramatic psychedelic folk (such as the ominous "Free"). In another turn, the title track is part testimony told in rap-like rhymes including "I know the law, I wrote it to a tee/I'm on the ALEC/I fund a PAC/I make ties/To get mine/From whatever candidate leads/I'm playing for keeps." Those lines are delivered by double-tracked vocals, with other hip-hop-inspired components, including a repeated electric guitar riff and elemental drums. Elsewhere, the sardonic "Fun Yet" takes on phone addiction with a jaunty country-rock, while "Ones and Ohs" is a wistful, sparer, folk-style guitar tune with strings and light electric guitar ("I should treat my phone more like a landline and only pick it up when it rings"). To close, the haunting "Loading Page" surprises with distortion and echo effects. Throughout,
sells his consistently smart, crafted messages with a resonant voice and presence that command attention -- like a quality folkie should. ~ Marcy Donelson