Wordsmith Ernest Hemingway had a way with words. His novella, The Old Man and the Sea resonated with my soul when I read it as a teenager as I saw it as a refusal to give up or give in, especially when it came to a dream.
Finding inspiration in the master craftsman of words, Amsterdam’s P.J.M. Bond chased his own dream by locking himself away in a log cabin to record an album dedicated to Hemingway’s short story collection In Our Time.
The results? 17 tracks for 17 stories.
The first single, “The End of Something” received admiration from not only fans, but critics who respected the combination of folk music and literature.
On the heels of that success comes Big Two-Hearted River: Part II. While Big Two-Hearted River is considered one of Hemingway’s masterpieces, P.J.M. Bond has created his own through lyrics that transport one to experience what Hemingway’s character Nick Adams may have experienced. Soft and delicate music and heartfelt vocals, drive away the days of being hardwired to society and allows one to escape.
Dreamy, melodic, and airy, and very much like its predecessor in the delicateness and heartfelt, “Indian Camp” has P.J.M painting luscious lyrical pictures that continues to allow one to escape.
Closing out the 3-song EP, “Mr. and Mrs. Elliot” has a feeling of returning to reality. The song is fraught with melancholy and a palatable desolation that returning to society is a return to day to day doldrums.
P.J.M Bond’s fusion of literature and music with Big Two-Hearted River: Part II is the essence of soul searching and a longing to find freedom from life as one knows it. His prose is poetic and heartfelt while his music provides comfort and company in the never ending chase of a dream.
Listen to Big Two-Hearted River: Part II below
Album artwork drawing by Pepijn van den Wall Bake
