Kyle Fischer

Open Ground (Polyvinyl)
by Tim Den

Rainer Maria guitarist/vocalist Kyle Fischer strips away the volume and breaks out the acoustic for an album full of aching folk tunes. Before you yawn and turn the page, know that Open Ground isn’t Ani DiFranco or Indigo Girls. It’s the sound of one man rediscovering his Southern musical roots – from gospel to country – digested through a stomach made of Midwest mathrock experiences, and the regurgitation sounds modern. Less posturing than Ryan Adams, more melody-conscious than Bright Eyes, Fischer’s endearing-but-often shaky voice treads the tight rope of falsetto/whispering, sometimes creeping you out a bit (last few lines of “Kissing Cabernet” sound almost too seductive) but getting the job done most of the time. A soft celebration of the simple joys of a man and his guitar.
(PO Box 1885 Danville, IL 61834)