Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Free and legal MP3 from Ravens & Chimes (sprightly indie rock w/ an edge of reserve)

"Hearts of Palm" - Ravens & Chimes
     Cheerful songs are usually vigorous things. Songs that seem hesitant, wavery, or otherwise introverted, on the other hand, tend to be at best wistful if not downright mournful. "Hearts of Palm" subverts the formula, and is all the more effective for it--a sprightly, hopeful-sounding song edged by an equivocal, somewhat trembling vibe.
     Some of this is due to the vocal qualities of Asher Lack, who sings like someone wading into cold water, at once timid and determined, while instruments chug forward around him. But listen and you'll hear how the music yet reinforces the partially timorous atmosphere: it's peppy, yes, but likewise stuttery, and lacking the oomph and crunch of a typical rock band. This isn't for lack of personnel. Ravens & Chimes is a six-person outfit, but the members are busier playing things like harmonium and flute and glockenspiel to bother with the din of standard-issue rock'n'roll. And so this is how we end up with this buoyant, reserved piece of pop and I for one am happier for having heard it. I especially love the agile, islandy flute lines and the beautiful, pure-toned female harmony vocal that blends and yet doesn't quite blend with Lack's quasi-speak-singing in the chorus.
     "Hearts of Palm" is a single from the band's forthcoming and as-yet untitled second album. Its first CD, Reichenbach Falls, came out in 2007. Prior to the album's release, this song is slated to be released soon as the a-side of a 7-inch single. MP3 via the band's site.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Jeremy,

Sorry to contact you about this again, but I'm not sure how else to reach you. I've sent you two e-mails after winning the Fingertips impromptu contest awhile back (with comment #2 about The Dø) and never got a response from you. I'm not really sure what's going on - can you please let me know if you received them and whether you intend on following through? At this point it's not a big deal, but I'd appreciate knowing what to expect.

Thanks for the Ravens & Chimes - this is a great song.

Jeremy said...

Hey, yikes, I'm sorry, I never got an email from you, or anyone else who won that contest!! I completely want to follow through. I have no idea why I didn't get the email. The address is fingertipsmusic at gmail. Dot com of course. Try one more time so we can take this conversation off the blog...