Sometimes you just have to get out of the way. It's that way with Matthew Philip Hines here and his Austin, Texas, outfit, The Eastern Sea. These four songs are immaculate examples of songcraft and structure, with words that are sharp and poignant for anyone who's felt stymied and stunned by the most universal troubles and emotions that anyone could ever go through. "Wasn't For Love" is the song that begins this session, recorded last month in Austin. Hines sings the following as the first two verses of the song:
"The only love I know in my heart is this absent love/Left behind or up ahead/Some place I'm always thinking of/The only time I know in my head is this empty time/That takes moths to turn around/And it's something that I'll leave behind/The only peace I've had in my life is this peace of mind/It was there when I close my eyes/And leaves me every night/The only song I'm singin' to pass the time is this lonely song/And I will sing it well/Even if no one catches on."
Stop. Now go listen to it and the rest will come together.