Stephen Becker - A Calm That Shifts (2022) Hi-Res

Stephen Becker is one of those young shooters who make their remarkable entry into the game and who immediately amaze. Coming straight from New York, the young singer-songwriter offers intoxicating and labyrinthine music that transports us to the beyond. As proof of this, his very first album entitled A Calm That Shifts.

For the eternal nostalgics of the slightly progressive indie folk of the 2000s, this disc is made for you. Without ever falling into the outdated, Stephen Becker thus offers thirteen compositions where the specters of Elliott Smith but also Brian Wilson and Donald Fagen hover throughout with this mixture of technicality and softness. The journey is immediate from the first notes of "Upstate" where fingerpicking and arrangements really go hand in hand.

And this is only the beginning because the calm journey of A Calm That Shifts will impress us with other splendid finds such as "Disappearing Hand", "Unspoken" and other "Water In My Eyes" where the organic sounds are tailor-made. All that's missing is Stephen Becker's nostalgic, feel-tinged songwriting to round it all off, along with the heady, haunting 'Elvis' and 'Secondary Player'. The harmonies have gone to the maximum and reach the top with "Hillcrest" and the magnificent conclusion named "Home Isn't Home" with rhythms reminiscent of "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" by Radiohead.

You understood, Stephen Becker is a little genius who deserves more recognition and this A Calm That Shifts is no exception to the rule. Take a hint of indie folk, progressive music with a slight psychedelic edge, stir it all up and you will get a harmonious, peaceful and oh so technical record that we will listen to tirelessly.