Grumbeaux turns restless roots into lateset release “Now Is Near”

Grumbeaux's "Now Is Near" opens with a clash of old world folk instincts and the unruliness of goth, prog, glam, and punk. The song is about the urgency of living today and channeling life's tension through a rhythm section that feels unusually central and alive. Grumbeaux reimagines those influences into something restless, muscular, and uniquely his own. There is character to the playing, especially in the rhythmic foundation, which gives the arrangement its heartbeat, its unpredictability. "Now Is Near" is fun without being self indulgent, and it's a richly textured song that rewards you if you give it some attention.