If you’ve been to any of Grey Season’s shows, many of the songs on Time Will Tell You Well should be familiar to you. As regular performers and buskers at local venues, Grey Season has been ready to record their first full-length album for a long time, and finally got the chance in January when they road-tripped to Woodstock to record at Levon Helms Studios, also known as “The Barn.”
Similar to Grey Season’s previous EP, Troilus, it’s hard to put a finger on exactly what genre category this album falls under. A hodgepodge way to describe their sound would be a serving of Mumford & Sons, heavy on the rock and garnished with a touch of bluegrass. Two songs from the last EP, “Roslyn” and “New Kind of Dirty,” were re-recorded and re-mastered for the album. The songs themselves may not be played very differently, but if listened to with noise-canceling headphones or blasted on a good stereo system, the full, balanced sound is a pure eargasm.
Also included on the album are three covers: Bob Dylan’s “Mama, You Been On My Mind,” Richard Thompson’s “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” and Si Kahn’s “Aragon Mill.” Grey Season does covers well – so well that it’s hard to tell that they’re not original tracks. “Mama” is an example of the Grey-ification of a cover on Time Will Tell You Well: Dylan’s slow drawl transforms into Grey Season’s signature five-part harmonies, while the sizzling harmonica is replaced with fast-paced banjo plucking and energetic drumming. Grey Season’s covers are more integral to their collection of music than a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” is to James Blake.
The mood of the album makes just as much of an impression as the distinctly bluegrass rock Grey Season is known for. The nostalgic, pondering lyrics give off Americana vibes reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel and Cat Stevens-filled road trips, but with lots more laughter. “Satellites” — painful and bursting with joy at the same time — makes you want to speed down a highway in a vintage Chevy. One of the few mellow songs on the album, “Lost and Found,” contains such lyrical gems as, “But it’s funny who you meet at the end of the Earth / As we ride in someone else’s hearse.” “Good Friday” is a fun song both live and recorded; the alternating tempos induce a rush just like an electronic bass drop can. On top of it all, singer John Mills’ raspy voice stands out above the harmonious cacophony of instruments, still comforting enough to croon you to sleep.
Because many of the songs have been played live, most of the album won’t come as a surprise to those who frequent Grey Season shows. Time Will Tell You Well is basically a carbon copy of their live set list. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though — fans can finally enjoy crowd favorites like “Look At Us Now” and “Good Friday” at their leisure. But that’s where the good news about the album ends. Nothing can compare to a live Grey Season performance — the songs on this well-crafted album can’t even recreate the magic.