Patchwork - Work and Worry

Patchwork blend folk, rock and country styles into well-crafted and well-written songs reminiscent of a solitary drive through the Midwest on their 6-song EP, Work and Worry. “Blue, Black and Green” utilizes Pavement’s boredom, while “Fallout Shelter Signs” is quintessential atmospheric indie folk somewhere between M. Ward, The Shins and The Decemberists. “A OK” could have been lifted off Frank Black’s Honeycomb and “Laura Lee” is built like a Beatles-esque melody. The record’s most rocking number, “Stolen Tulips” is its most uninteresting, but it’s followed by the standout, “Chasing Down the Sun,” another Beatles-like track that also incorporates the sweeping textures of Wilco (even ending with a three-minute drone). Patchwork is mostly Jeremiah Nelson and his comforting voice and guitar supported by a rotating cast of musicians, but this record sounds warm thanks to the tightness and caliber of all the players. [www.myspace.com]