For his second solo LP, Chip Means continues down the path of 2006\'s \"Come Home,\" expanding his acoustic bedroom compositions with elements of his electronic rock outfit, Red Abbott. As one third of that band, his guitar and voice are stirred into the group\'s ornate, cohesive sound, recognizable here in a smaller context. The songs on \"New City\" range from simplistic folk ballads (\"Someone Else\", \"New Castles,\" \"Aimless\") to cheerful pop singalongs (\"New City,\" \"Reject Me,\" \"Old Leaves\") built out with layers of percussion, keytar, 8-bit synth and 12-string electric guitar. Means is joined on the album\'s closing track, \"Staying Up\" by Red Abbott\'s Bert Brown, a.k.a. bplus.
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