Weekly Special #183a: Josh Mease (tours with Van Dyke Parks)

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Josh Mease is a bit of an explorer. Originally hailing from Houston, Mease recorded his debut LP, “Wilderness,” in sessions that took him from Texas to Connecticut and back to his own bedroom a stone’s throw from the BQE. The most fruitful wanderings of his, however, take place within the confines of his imagination—the lush sonic dreamscapes of “Wilderness” recall, at times, the music of mid-century animated Disney films the elegant “Eleanor” in particular sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place in Alice’s wonderland, sung by a chorus of harmonizing flora. “White Diamonds,” the album’s first single, is an impossibly infectious tune a delightful video for the song, as well as a clip for “Eleanor,” can be found online at his MySpace page or on Youtube. From the lovely opener “You Found Me” and laid-back “Days Like This” through the towering, ambient “Tall Trees,” “Wilderness” is a gorgeously breathtaking first record. The Deli caught Mease with his head out of the clouds long enough to discuss the creative process. – Read Toney Palumbo’s interview with Josh Mease here.