Latest from Duval-to-NYC Musician Alexei Shishkin is a Quality Byrds-Style Flight Plan

Make no mistake: “Wind Picks Up Again,” the third track from Alexei Shishkin’s recent album dagger, is a fantastic rock song.

From the start, it’s evident that the Jacksonvillian-turned-NYC-Brooklynite is adept at evoking the kind of lysergic 12-string-guitar shimmer that made 1966-era Byrds achieve stratospheric peaks, and the driving bass and drums accompaniment of Shishkin’s economical approach propels and enhances his certain skills at delivering coveted rock hooks.

The only kink in the flight plan for “Wind Picks Up Again” is arguably Shishkin’s decision to mix his double-tracked and distorted vocals—sung in a whispery and disaffected delivery—at such peak level that they dominate and overshadow the gooey psych-rock flow; which also downgrades the effectiveness of his certain skilled wordplay: “In the plane, on the sea / I rise up and you meet me / All at once, unrest, at ease / I am resting with the rest of these.”

Minor turbulence aside, “Wind Picks Up Again” is an otherwise enjoyable ride and well-crafted rocker, with an analog synth swirling the tune to the outro.

dagger is out now and available for purchase on Bandcamp. Stream the album from your preferred service here.