When I first met Nathan Edwin, it was like a nexus in the universe.
The paths we weaved through similar childhoods, musical tastes, general vibe, same first name, and choice of college converged in an intersection that was one part admiration, one part friendship, and one part bitter rivalry.
And while we may have moved apart musically, there was a moment in time where we were both employing the same sort of subdued, scrappy folk rock that drew as much from legends like Dylan and Guthrie as it did more contemporary voices like Bright Eyes and Devendra Banhart. Luckily, Nate stuck around that vibe a lot longer, which is good since he was way better at it than I was anyway.
The great tragedy of this review, however, is that this record has zero presence online (while some are spread across various releases on his bandcamp). While it’s a minor struggle to talk about these songs without being able to link to them, the real pain comes from being unable to share this wonderful record with any of you.
Ghost Friends Forever is a perfect encapsulation of the magic I used to witness as we would play shows together in the lecture hall in our campus’s science building. Assorted accompaniment floats in and out—simple piano lines, mournful harmonicas, the occasional horn section, and shoddy drum sets. And at the center of this collection of noisemakers is Nathan Edwin himself, finger-picking an acoustic guitar and lilting in a tremulous croon.
The songs trace through a number of narratives with magical realism: a lion mocks a lovelorn moon, a boxer defends peaches from a pirate, a pocketbook is left in an astronaut’s rocketship, a sailor falls in love with a whale targeted by his revenge-stricken captain.
And while many of these songs had been released on other EPs and DIY full lengths, they were reworked for this exclusive vinyl pressing which shows off the best of both Nate’s songwriting and production (I’m also pretty sure he screenprinted the jackets himself, but there are no credits to make sure). And as a showcase, this record is a triumph. As far as DIY lo-fi folk goes, this is the cream of the crop—an absolute contender for cult fandom if it were picked up by the right tastemaker.
At any rate, it’s way better than any of my folk stuff, so good game, sir.