"'Oh, How we've changed,' as we blew a smoke ring circling the city scene. And Oh, how we'd say, 'there is nothing on this earth too great to give away."
Andy Ulseth is a craftsman songwriter from Minnesota. A state known for brutal winters, and liberal politics. His folk songs highlight the vivid and visceral minutiae of the modern world rather than focus on the past. What does it mean to be a millennial? Why does life happen all at once? How have we changed? Every melody is important, and words matter.
Inspired by the work of contemporary song-focused artists, like Colin Meloy and The Decemberists, Ben Gibbard and Death Cab For Cutie, Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, Belle and Sebastian, and Fleet Foxes, Ulseth puts an emphasis on captivating the audience with visual and visceral storytelling that compliments his sparkling and winding melodies. He is also a student of songwriters from bygone eras. Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, and Jeff Mangum can be heard in Ulseth's oeuvre.
Ulseth's live shows include stories, and a wit not common in the ever-so-earnest world of folk music. His voice has the ability fill up a room, and a falsetto that will break your heart with its sweetness.
"How We've Changed" is his latest full length LP, and features an impressive range of tone and texture. Lyrics about a psychedelic vision that led Ulseth to wonder what frequencies America's great roadways vibrate at, and a song about the irony of wooden figurines being sold at an Arbor Day festival against a backdrop of teenage rebellion.
The album was technically finished in March of 2020, but its release was derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, and with significant personal changes in Ulseth's life as he became a father. What felt like an important album in early 2020, feels even more profound and appropriate in 2022. Oh, how we've changed, indeed.
