Interviews from The Lilypad 6/21/13

The show at the Lilypad on June 21 was a great night, and Found Sound succeeded in getting an interview with each band. The videos are in the order that the groups performed: Jules Vincent, Closer Than We Appear, Kevin King, Burglary Years, and Saintseneca. Special thanks to Justin Healy who volunteered to be my camera man, and Owen Bolas for letting me borrow his equipment and editing the interviews into videos.

- Ryan Noss

Track Review: "Reprieve"

Artist: Jules Vincent

Release Date: January 25, 2013

Label: Independent

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed.

Jules Vincent is a young band from Beverly, MA consisting of - full disclosure - good friends of mine and fellow staff writers of Found Sound. That being said, “Reprieve” is an ambitious cut. The live version clocks in at 9 minutes and includes several distinct sections. Realistically, it could be three different songs. The band keeps the track from growing stale by introducing new musical themes throughout, as well as exploring an enormous emotive range, full of peaks and valleys.

Though the instrumentation may be the most palpable element of the song, the lyrics also deserve some attention; it’s as if the band wrote the whole work around the poetry. Mortality seems to be the preoccupation here, with the song exuding fearful sentiments of dying alone. This would be hard to gather, however, without actually studying the words. On a side note, the studio version includes samples of chirping birds that build over the song and peak as they match up with appropriately ornithological metaphors in the lyrics. This isn’t present in the live version, which is a shame. The pastoral effects adds a certain aesthetic to the piece that give the music a more profound impact.

The biggest pitfall with this song is a level of sloppiness commensurate for a band this young tackling such a complex idea. There are a few rough transitions, along with mismatched rhythms and isolated tuning issues, but most of these are lost in the length. Ultimately, the track is interesting, diverse, and demonstrates an incredible level of musicianship, particularly for a group with such burgeoning talent.

- Ryan Noss

Track Review: "Icicle"

Artist: Kevin King (of Maura)

Release Date: February 13, 2012

Label: Independent

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed. 

Kevin King, frontman of the band Maura based out of Somerville, is doing an acoustic solo set at the Lilypad. When I contacted him, he advised me to review the song “Icicle,” as it is the best representation of the sound his performance is going to have. The song has the familiar sound of a folky singer-songwriter that conjures imagery of relaxing in a coffee shop on a rainy day. The guitar chords, repetitive as they may be, reach beyond the normal scope of this style into the region of jazz tonalities, giving the song a warm feel. The lyrics, poetic and thoughtful, seem to take the forefront, as the same melodies and chords are repeated for the majority of the song. While this works in many cases, the energy of the song is largely stagnant, with the exception of an additional voice, a beautiful soprano, late in the song. I would love to hear King put more emotion in his performance, which could be achieved by simply exploring a broader dynamic range or exaggerating the shape in his lines. Overall, the song is warm and comforting, while maintaining a certain thoughtfulness.

- Ryan Noss

Track Review: "It's Not So Bad"

Artist: Closer Than We Appear

Release Date: May 30, 2013

Label: Independent

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed.

Closer Than We Appear are a younger  band out of Scituate, MA. Recently, they dropped two tracks on their bandcamp, including a song called “It’s Not So Bad.” The song’s sound falls somewhere on the spectrum between Death Cab for Cutie and The Dismemberment Plan, employing both a solid range of dynamics and a few different moods, all presented through a lens of tortured optimism. The title serves as the focal point of the chorus, which is repeated incessantly as if the singer is trying to convince himself of the fact. The lead guitar tone employed is gorgeous and well placed in the mix. Subtle changes presented by the guitarist keep a long song fresh, switching to a more distorted sound at the end to increase intensity. My biggest complaint is the lack of a strong bass. Its clear the bassist is a good player, and a more intricate line given a larger role in the mix could take a song like this to another level. It could probably be shorter, but the intoxicating sound lends itself to a longer form, so it’s a hard criticism to make. Overall, it’s a great track, and I definitely look forward to hearing more Closer Than We Appear in the future.

- Ryan Noss