By the Beach (feat. Kyle Field)

By the Beach (feat. Kyle Field)

With such a distinctive voice, it’s not easy for Kyle Field to sound all that different from Little Wings when embarking on a side project. Even though Be Gulls comprises surfboard shaper Keith Boller, folk singer Lee Baggett and indie-rock band the Gift Machine’s Dave Matthies and Brian Malloy, the opening number “Look Hard Again” is a relaxed tune that leans on muted guitars, faraway drumming, and Field’s plaintive baritone stylishly stumbling upward for high tenor tones. It’s only when Baggett takes the mic that tunes like “Seasons” and parts of “Whisperskits” take on vintage Village coffeehouse vibe — his nasal inflections recall moments of Freewheelin’ -era Bob Dylan or Buffalo Springfield-era Neil Young. The languid “Come to Pass” is an opiated-sounding song with drums that approximate a slowing heartbeat as droopy guitar notes melt out from the sides like a grilled cheese sandwich. An eight-minute-long “Good Again” bookends By the Beach with a seemingly improvised jam executed at a tortoise-like tempo.

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