While his background is decidedly within the bounds of experimental art rock, Minneapolis singer-multi-instrumentalist Pat Keen self-titled material is more reminiscent of Nick Drake or Joni Mitchell. For the past half decade his rustic, atmospheric, and ethereal manipulations of indie-folk-pop have steadily matured, culminating this year with the upcoming Cells Remain.
The twelve-track LP finds Keen digging deeper than he’s ever before, with a backbone of acknowledgement for what can’t be seen on the surface, hence the record’s title. Cells Remain was further shaped by Brian Joseph, who’s engineered everyone from Sufjan Stevens to Bon Iver and even Paul Simon, pretty much guaranteeing an objective quality. Cells Remain is out on August 21st and today Keen’s shared its fourth and final single, “Screens”!
–Photo: Jesse Johnson