Wil Reeves enlists Spencer Tweedy, Molly Healey, more for new Penny Marvel single

The Midwest music scene is both wide and close, a truth Wil Reeves affirms on "Albatross," the latest single from his Penny Marvel project.

Reeves, whose hands have touched countless local records as proprietor of Centro Cellar Studio, unites treasured musical voices from Columbia, Springfield and Chicago on the single.

His band here consists of local stalwart John Galbraith on guitar, Missouri strings master Molly Healey, Spencer Tweedy (Jeff Tweedy, Norah Jones) behind the drums and Macie Stewart (of the band Finom, previously known as Ohmme) on background vocals. Working in the modern way, Healey sent her tracks in from Springfield, and Tweedy and Stewart transmitted from Chicago.

"Hard to express how grateful I am to hear a handful of my musical heroes playing and singing along with me on a song of my own," Reeves wrote in a note on his Bandcamp page.

The song, a retro-leaning, Shins-adjacent slice of indie pop, opens with lovely ripples of guitar. Galbraith and Reeves achieve a tone that's both pointed and couched in warm reverb, pulling the listener close. The sound sets up the listener for Reeves' instantly memorable opening line:

"Albatross / Doesn’t give a flying flock ... "

Tweedy keeps it simple in the drummer's chair, giving the track a thoughtful momentum and leaving room for wondrous adornments: the swell and separation of Healey's strings, Reeves' ascendant melodies, the way Stewart's voice meets his to fulfill the word "harmony."

For a little over four minutes, these musical compatriots underline their connection — across miles and modems — and create a single that stands with the best to emerge from Columbia and beyond this year.

Learn more about Penny Marvel, and hear Reeves' work at https://pennymarvel.bandcamp.com.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia's Wil Reeves calls on Midwest music heroes for new single