Part folk, part country, part bluegrass; it would be easy to squander paragraphs attempting to categorize TATLMTTW’s (Christ – even the acronym is long!) The Island Gospel. Following the lead of record label Nobody’s Favorite Records, let’s simply call it “Acoustic” and move along.
Much like TATLMTTW’s 2006 self-titled debut, The Island Gospel scarcely contains a song that clocks in over three minutes, which makes the actual content of each song that much more formidable. Songwriter Mark Mandeville skillfully crafts intricately arranged layers into the musical equivalent of a vignette; graceful sketches that are clear despite their conciseness. The results are nothing short of alluring.
Like the tuba player in a brass band, Zack Ciras and his upright bass lay down a solid foundation for his band mates to feed on, leaving the casual listener oblivious to the absence of any traditional percussive instruments. The hauntingly beautiful clarinet phrases of Raianne Richards play second stage only to her vocals that fit hand in glove with Mandeville’s own Colin Meloy-esque sound. Icing it all with a bit of banjo interspersed where needed and you’ve got the makings of some a truly zestful album.
I’ll be the first to admit that the catch-all Americana genre does not receive very much attention on this stereo. I’d go so far to say that I find most of what is being produced quite boring and predictable. While it will take a lot more than TATLMTTW to convince me otherwise, they have certainly made me a believer in The Island Gospel.
Genre: Indie/Americana
RIYL: The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Gillian Welch
Label: Nobody’s Favorite Records
Hole of Doubt
Caves
on Jun 6th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
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