Summer at Land's End

Summer at Land’s End is not an interlude or tangent for The Reds, Pinks & Purples but rather a perfect fourth movement following the albums Anxiety Art, You Might Be Happy Someday, and Uncommon Weather. As with these self-recorded records (the primary work of songwriter Glenn Donaldson), the songs on Summer at Land’s End were crafted slowly and then drawn together to make a unified statement. But here, and more than before, Summer at Land’s End combines Donaldson’s rueful pop sensibility with a parallel musical universe, one composed of pictures, dreams, and feelings without words. Even if the underlying theme of this collection is one of conflict or unhappiness, the vision of the music presents an escape to a new world, always fading in and out of sight. For listeners who may not be familiar with Donaldson’s corner of San Francisco––the Richmond district––or the current wave of hazy, melodic DIY pop groups performing in the city, Summer at Land’s End pulls in images and scenes that feel like a collision of the mundane and the sublime of this present landscape. But settings such as these are the backdrop for personal narratives, expressed as a struggle with love, with companionship and the conflicts of home.

    Don’t Come Home Too Soon (03:12)
    Let’s Pretend We’re Not In Love (03:06)
    New Light (02:53)
    My Soul Unburdened (02:21)
    Summer At Land’s End (07:02)
    Pour the Light In (04:10)
    All Night We Move (02:42)
    Tell Me What’s Real (03:05)
    Upside Down in an Empty Room (03:15)
    Dahlias and Rain (02:37)
    I’d Rather Not Go Your Way (01:56)