[self released, 2009]
There's a lot to love about Sandbox Astronomy--the band boasts a sound well-rooted in chamber pop, with instrumentation including violin, banjo, mandolin, and xylophone. The lead vocals are often accompanied by male or female harmonies (or both!), which are always spot-on and complement the melody quite well. For an ensemble rooted in folk, Sandbox Astronomy is still able to pack in a good amount of catchy hooks, and though the song structures may be simple, they works very well and make each track memorable. If you enjoy the sound of Okkervil River, this will be right up your alley.
Opener "Lost Languages" kicks off the EP up-tempo, with a nice interplay of guitar, mandolin, and violin trading off on the main riff, and shows off the talent of all three vocalists. The second track, "Bird in Hand," pulls back a little, exploring some slightly discordant harmonies among some plucked banjo--probably the weakest of the four songs, but still enjoyable. "This Is How," the third song, is the longest and most intricate of the EP. "This is how I learned to drink my coffee black," sings vocalist Graeme throughout the track--a great image of swallowing bitterness in a somber tale of loss. Closer "Astronaut" boasts big harmonies with jangly guitar, melodica, and loose bass reminiscent of early Neil Young recordings. At first I wasn't sold on the EP, but after repeated listens, I find myself coming back to it very often to play it the whole way through.
The band went ahead and released the whole EP for pay-what-you-like download via bandcamp, with an option to buy the physical CD as well. If using other random sites frightens you for an inexplicable reason, feel free to grab my two favorite tracks below:
download: Lost Languages
download: Astronaut
Sure, four tracks cannot guarantee a lock for a great band, but I will definitely be keeping my ear open to what these guys will come out with in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment