I will admit that Fences aka Christopher Mansfield is not a musical endeavour I was aware of. I am however glad that they have made their way into my life. Bright Soil is the fourth studio by them and the follow up to 2019’s Failure Scultpure. Listening to Fences for the first time is a very interesting experience. It’s new and you don’t really know what you are going to get, yet there is something familiar and inviting about the music that greets you, like a comforting blanket.
The songs on this album come together like a gathering of old friends. Every beautifully written track tells a perfectly woven tale that will have you smiling or sobbing depending on how they hit you. It has to be said Christopher Mansfield is as much a storyteller as he is a musician. His songs paint pictures and evoke feelings in ways only the best art can. The albums title track featuring Maxine Mansfield and Wesley Shultz is a stirring and soulful tale of love that pushes all the right emotional buttons. The triple vocals all complimenting each other perfectly to create something special.
You can practically feel the desert sun beaming down on you when No One kicks in, it’s the perfect soundtrack to a carefree highway drive. Sioux City is another memorable one with it’s gorgeous melody and relatable refrain of “I wanna be forgotten”. The albums real standout moment for me is Blue Floral, its the crowning moment on Bright Soil and a song that nestles its way into your head & heart, refusing to ever leave either.
Bright Soil is an expansive and emotional journey. An album that you can tell was extremely personal to makr and explores the breadth of human emotions. Its joyful, melancholy and just about everything in between. The best art is the kind you can connect with in a real way and this has that in spades. It recalls the best works of artists like The National, Death Cab for Cutie & Bright Eyes, while managing to retain its own identity.
This may be one of the biggest surprises of 2023 for me and album that will be on repeat as the nights get a little longer and things get cosier this album will see me through like an old friend with all the best stories.
Bright Soil is available now via ENCI Records
