What do flutes, harpsichord solos, kids laughing distantly, well-articulated lyrics, and fanciful images of women floating on Centipedes have in common?

Two things actually. The first is, more or less, late 1960s and early 1970s prog-rock. The second is Gary Higgins’ second studio album, titled Seconds, that’s been 35 years in the making.

 
Despite all the psychedelic embellishments mentioned above, Higgins writes music that is about as straightforward as it gets. Progressions and tempos seem pulled directly from the Bob Dylan or the George Harrison catalogs. Guitar solos are present but uninspired (mainly because we’ve heard most of them on records from the 70s). And his vocals are very Jerry Garcia-ish to say the least.

This is because Gary Higgins is essentially a folk singer walking out of a time capsule. He hasn’t released any music on a major label since his first album in 1973. That album, Red Hash, was penned and recorded in forty hours during the two-day interval between his conviction and his actual incarceration for selling dope. After serving a 13-month sentence, he was released from prison and didn’t do much musically for over three decades.

The new album is overflowing with character whether you like the style or not. Among other things, you’ll hear full-bodied 12 string guitars, poignant lyrics sung softly by a weathered badass, and a deep melancholy nostalgia for the 1970s.

If you don’t know the full story behind Higgins’ life, you need to check it out. Until you do, this album will seem like a stylistic relic (halfway between folk/prog-rock and a Disney soundtrack) written by a songwriter who is relatively unknown.

But the more you dig into its layers, the more musical sincerity you’ll pull from it. Gary Higgins is exactly what we see when we think of the archetypal songwriter: struggling, poetic, cosmically unlucky, experienced, and hardworking. Higgins is just getting a late start.