Review: Anthony Green’s Beautiful Things

Anthony Green’s second career solo full-length truly is a beautiful thing. Having never listened to his previous effort, Avalon, I wasn’t really expecting anything that could possibly compare to his main band, Circa Survive. Beautiful Things proved me dead wrong with a flood of intricately-laid lyrics complimented by twangy folk-sounding instruments that only enhance the effect that is created by Anthony’s unique voice.

As an indie album, Beautiful Things is pretty tough to classify into a single genre. It would be best described as a soft-sounding rock album with tints of folk and acoustic influences throughout. Since the album is Anthony expressing himself by his lonesome, it becomes pretty apparent upon listening to the record that each track has to deal directly with his personal life and was chosen to appear on the album for a real reason. Most obvious of these is “James’ Song,” a track featuring lyrics about his young son, and how “the whole world is spinning around James.”

Driven by the clatter of pot-and-pan-sounding percussion, “Blood Song” is one of the easiest songs to groove to on the album. It features some of the catchiest lyrics, and a very distinctive ‘twang’ of a folk song. “Lullaby” rounds out the record with music that supports the song’s name. Soft lyrics and vocals give it a sound that little James Green would easily be able to fall asleep to while his daddy repeats the name of his most recent album throughout the song, and a soft chorus chimes in the background.

Genius lyrical and songwriting efforts have earned Beautiful Things a spot in my library that it won’t soon lose. Fans of Circa Survive, Anthony himself, and really any type of similar music would definitely be able to appreciate Beautiful Things. For some, Anthony’s vocals take a bit of time to warm up to, however, I guarantee that you’ll be able to take something out of listening to the album. Make sure to give it a shot, and if you can, go see Anthony on his current solo tour.