Description
Rykodisc 2010
“A deeply introspective set of songs, with a keenly spiritual undertow running through these meditations on love, nature, and humanity.”
“Vashti Bunyan adds pale backing vocals to ‘No Time to Live Without Her’ while ‘Beehive’s acoustic guitar/strings are Nick Drake from the prairie, battered by the wind.”
“The gorgeous ‘Beehive’ features Olson and his charmingly vulnerable voice backed only by acoustic guitar and a soaring string section. ‘Scholastica’ finds him ‘walking on the shores of goodbye,’ snarling and quivering like Young on After the Gold Rush. The reassuring arpeggios of ‘Wind and Rain,’ cruise smoothly beneath the angelic harmony vocals of Ingunn Ringvold.”
PRESS:
“Mark Olson has the autonomy and musical prowess to defy that unnecessary descriptive clause that often comes after his name…” —American Songwriter Magazine
“Keeping spirits aloft …Kite’s highlights offer plenty of uplift…” –USAToday.com {3 Stars}
“…vocally fresh and diverse…the songs here maintain a tight focus and a small palette (largely acoustic, drums pushed back in the mix), but the careful control maintained over individual elements makes them uniformly strong…Many Colored Kite is resolutely marked with sure signs of experience and skill.” –SlantMagazine.com
“An album that radiates unfettered charms and idyllic sentiment, Many Colored Kite is Mark Olson’s most expressive and luminescent effort to date. The ex-Jayhawk/Creekdipper makes every note seem effortless, thanks in large measure to his pensive vocals and a penchant for contemplative musings that sets his songs alight…it would be hard to imagine a more sublime set of songs. –Blurt
“…a simply marvelous listen. –MusicNerd.ca
“Olson’s latest solo album, Many Colored Kite, is in the spirit of Gram Parsons and Gene Clark, in that it features twangy songs that wander freely, changing tempos and instrumentation as they dig into the tangled roots of American folk music.” –The Onion’s The AV Club
“…there are few artists who are able to convey a certain majesty with their music – Mark Olson is definitely one of them.” -Here Magazine (Canada)
