On the road once again, for the last time for a while. Being at home has been so good - Wellington has been rockin, being settled in one place has been balm for the travel-weary soul, and for the past few weeks I have just been a thousand percent happy. (That's heaps.)
And I'm discovering new music again, including this little gem. Recommended to me by a friend in Costa Rica I have only just got around to checking it out. And I've, like, totally got a crush on it.
The opening, title track is all pure vocals and clean brotherly harmonies: a gentle piano-driven ballad. It's a sweet start to the album, with a catchy chorus, and I love that it's a perfect 5 minutes in length. It launches into the sweet, banjo-lifted 'January Wedding'; a light-hearted little ditty that I can't get enough of. 'And It Spread' is another catchy little tune, with a bit of a pop vibe to it. There's another infectious little nod to the pop sound in the bridge of 'The Perfect Space' - in an otherwise uncomplicated song, it never fails to makes me smile. And all this pop stuff happens before we even get to 'Kick Drum Heart', which sounds exactly as the title says it should - all fun drumbeats and cutesie pianos, it's just delicious. Nearer the end of the album 'Slight Figure of Speech' draws in some of that really fun Brit Pop sound, mixing it up with dextrous vocals (the album was produced by Rick Rubin who's worked inter alia with the Beastie Boys, and you can really hear it here...) and a riff that's very Violent-Femmes-circa-Blister-In-the-Sun. Infectious.
The album lurches from sentimental acoustic ballads to pop to punk to pure hoe-down bluegrassy goodness (witness 'Laundry Room') but it all works and it just feels so right. And they do something I've been looking for a band to do for a while (and I confess my beloved Bright Eyes did not manage it as well as I'd hoped with The Peoples Key): they've seamlessly integrated a modern organ-driven sound into good old fashioned American folk songs. It never detracts from the undisputed guitar- and banjo-driven nature of the album, but it complements it beautifully, as does the strategic use of strings throughout.
It's not always overly complex music. In fact it's often charmingly uncomplicated, but it's a beautiful marriage of some fun genres, all faithfully underpinned by a folk-country sound. It's an honest album, and it's a rollicking good time.
I did think that Okkervil River was my find of the year, but with one month to go, this album is definitely giving it a run for its money. I have been hooked from first listen. It makes me happy. A thousand percent.
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