by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Pat Keen has always created music with reinvention in mind, both in the classical and experimental context, his music plays with form by landing just outside of it. While formerly a collaborator of Guerilla Toss, Ryan Power, and Wei Zhongle, the Minnesota via Eau Claire, Wisconsin based songwriter’s solo music is based within folk, but the inherent ease in his songs is built on that same wandering state of reinvention. Following 2017’s Albatross LP (Ramp Local) and last year’s Oakland Ave EP, Keen returns with a new full length, Cells Remain, out August 21st via Birdwatcher Records.
Lead single “Cell Song” is both minimal and intricate, the recording filled with ear candy that delights between acoustic guitars, synth pads, and Keen’s warm and contemplative vocals. Composed in a way that feels natural but also left of the center, there’s a dreamy space vibe that comes with the hook, baroque pop and otherworldly harmonies all blending together to something beautiful and well-crafted, while still alien. Everything floats in place, pieced together with the help of frequent collaborators, pushing Keen’s sound to its delicate best.
Speaking about the song, Keen shared:
“I wrote “Cell Song” visiting my parents cabin/now home in northern WI. I was sitting on the dock on a summer night, contemplating yet again what my relationship is with my family. That same place is where I’ve written countless songs. I also recorded most of my previous record, Albatross, up there.
The lyrics embody my normal “subconscious sound-poetry turned into meaning later” formula. That being said, they ended up being about digging deeper to find the good in people even if you can’t always see it and not losing your own plot while doing so. Hence the “cells remain” part.”