After listening to this album for a while and getting a feel for Fretwell’s tone and persona, I surmised that Fretwell must envision himself as a magpie of sorts. Much like the magpie found in folklore (it is said that the magpie refused to enter Noah's ark, instead sitting on the roof and swearing for the duration of the deluge), Fretwell’s 12-track missive, Magpie, is a musical chronicle of emotional setbacks and oft-misplaced affections with occasional glimmers of optimism.
Artistically, Fretwell prefers to stand exposed to the emotional mire armed with lyrical munitions culled from pathos and guarded optimism. I consider Magpie a new-found musical treasure, earning a home between Nick Drake’s Pink Moon and Grant Lee Buffalo’s Jubilee. It’s only a matter of time before the world catches on to Fretwell’s brilliance.
Highly Recommended.
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