Holiday Camp finds more than a few friends turning up to lace songs with their contributions. Recorded from their own home studios, string arrangements from Chris Stamey, moog from Wilco’s Patrick Sansone, and glockenspiel from Mitch Easter all bolster the record’s mercurial grace. The physical distance does little to dampen the sense of communal ease that holds tight at the album’s core. With shades of home-grown Memphis power pop, nods to Apple Records alums, and an appeal that trickles down to fans of open-hearted pop from Emmit Rhodes to The Elephant 6, Those Pretty Wrongs draw the listener into an environment that’s familiar and fragrant. Luther’s arrangements have a timeless temperance that wraps around the listener. Jody’s songwriting is as honest as ever. It’s a hand reaching out in the darkness, and a shoulder cry on. From the sunset serenity of “New September Song,” to the pastoral chamber folk of “Brother, My Brother,” the songs blanket the listener in a bittersweet bliss. Jody and Luther’s harmonies have taken on a sublime alchemy. Like lost brothers found once more, they weave wonder into the pensive meditations on “This Painted Sky,” and the hopeful send-off of “The Way,” With their full catalog in the steady hands of Curation, the band members find themselves poised to re-examine their past while excited to enter a new era with their most affecting album on the way.
