Setting the tone with enigmatic and intricate guitar with a textured bass line, Jacob Rountree opens his album, As I See It, with the powerful opus, Set A Fire featuring atmospheric vocals fused with an alternative folk-rock hybrid soundscape.
Jacob sings about the human condition, delivering the memorable hook “a soul is a fire…”. We are hypnotized by the doubled drums and the emotive build of of the composition, which is immersive, transcendental and features epic harmonies and a bold vocal range from our protagonist.
Next up is Neon, which opens with plucked guitar and descending bass fused with celestial textures. The song expands into a cerebral alternative rock frequency and features epic guitar work reminiscent of some of the most iconic bands of the 90s.
Definitions opens with an electric guitar crescendo expanding into an immersive energy and features lyrics full of wisdom including “the future is untold, we must learn to let it unfold…”. We are in awe of the cosmic detailing and Jacob Rountree‘s profound brand of story-telling.
The fourth track is Vertigo, which kicks off with a more intricate nature on the guitar, whilst Jacob sings conceptually “she falls out the window” as he delivers a song about the fear of heights. We love how the track picks up pace with elegant guitar for the second half of the track before ending cinematically and emotionally.
It is no surprise that Jacob has been voted Bozeman’s Choice Best Solo Artist. On the record, he is joined by Cole Thorne on the djembe, bass and harmonies, Alex Speed on guitar, keys and vocals, and Andrew Olivo on bass.
Jacob cites artists including Ben Howard, Nathaniel Rateliff, Jose Gonzales and John Butler Trio as influences, although it is clear that he is creating a dimension of his own.
The Fighter takes on a more intimate Americana route, whilst Halcyon definitively reminds us of Jose Gonzales! Walk A Mile feels like we have teleported to Hawaii, and we love the harmonies by Cole Thorne which really dimensionalize the composition.
Lost In You takes us on a more high octane hybrid-country journey and features the introspective lyrics, “whenever there is pleasure, there will be pain…” and the profound “I want to be a child again…”
Track number nine is Common Tongue, which serves as a reprise, slowing down the energy of the record as Jacob sings emotively, “you said the world’s unkind but look what I’ve done to you…”
Finally, Only You opens with stunning guitar and the lyrics, “You don’t know me anymore…” maintaining the poetic nature of the opus, but closing off the record with nuance and serenity.
On his ascent to stardom, Jacob Rountree has been playing several nights a week in various states from local cocktail lounges to festival crowds of 2,000 and even opening up for Future Islands at The Elm in Bozeman!
We love the introspective, profound and contemplative brand of storytelling that Jacob Rountree delivers with the record and have added Set A Fire to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue exploring the artist’s wider discography!