Great Grandpa - Patience, Moonbeam
You had changed, but the heart of you was still the same.
Patience, Moonbeam, the third LP by Seattle indie rock band Great Grandpa, is the product of five years of ups and downs. The album first started its production cycle in 2020, then was abandoned for some time, and scrapped almost entirely when the band reunited in 2023 and decided to start over. This record is an enthralling product of evolution, of contemplation, of careful, meticulous planning and refining, and of the members’ realization of the significance of one another and the band.
Upon pressing play on the intro track “Sleep”, the listener is instantly greeted with a beautiful, grand panorama of strings, laying out the larger-than-life atmosphere present throughout much of the project. They sound almost haunting in a way, drawing you into the album, but with a light note of caution.
Brilliant string work continues throughout the record; on many tracks, the strings back up the mostly acoustic guitar and piano instrumentals, making them feel a lot bigger, and giving them a much richer texture. Over these instrumentals, the vocals, which are largely handled by lead vocalist Al Menne, are very pleasant and quite versatile. Occasional vocals from the other band members also give the overall soundscape a necessary amount of variety; bass player Carrie Goodwin’s contributions are a particular standout.
The lyrical content is intricate, gentle and tender, displaying some really endearing vulnerability. The music ends up feeling very diverse and creative - likely due to the inclusive, shared creation process which Great Grandpa have spoken about, in which all five members were involved in bringing ideas to life. On this record, the band aren’t afraid to experiment at times, be it with unorthodox structuring, vocal effects, layered intros, or otherwise. They also play very effectively with holding and releasing tension, with the instrumentation coming in waves to emphasize a boost in emotion in places across the album. The wispy production gives the music a really strong nostalgic quality, too, which ties in very well with the nature of some of the storytelling.
Overall, Patience, Moonbeam portrays a band with a great deal of maturity in their approach to creativity, having done much self-reflection; very capable musicians with no shortage of unique ideas. It is a beautiful body of work, which stays consistent throughout, with several gorgeous highlights, such as “Task”, “Never Rest” and “Kid” - the lone surviving track from the initial album that the group scrapped. It goes to show, once again, that good art oftentimes takes a lot of time, and a great deal of sacrifice - but it ends up being more than worth it.
8.9/10