My discovery of Tall Tall Trees has everything to do with being in the right place at the right time. When I saw Kishi Bashi's Spike Hill show last month there was always a bit of a line to talk to him and while waiting, one of K's constant companions struck up a conversation with me - assuming I actually knew the man. I didn't but that made him no less genial. That man was Mike Sevino - Tall Tall Trees' frontman (which he only revealed when pressed). I couldn't make their record release show but I made a mental note to check them out.
Moment, the follow up to 2009's self-titled debut, trades in the fun, playful folk starting right out the gate with the poppy "Highwire" which metamorphoses into a veritable rock anthem during the break down. In fact, it's not until the album's fourth track "Men and Mountains" that Mike Savino's banjo makes it's entrance. The sprawling 7 minute track best encompasses what Tall Tall Trees attempt to do on Moment, stacking up an updated more accessible rock sound and much more serious song composition with hints of the more folk-driven sound of their debut. The result is an enjoyable genre-straddling collection of fantastic musical moments.
Moment is essentially a rock album with folk ornaments that proves that Tall Tall Trees can write some pretty amazing serious music if they're so inclined. An album where the individual parts are a bit greater than the whole, Moment might not be the strongest album you hear but delivers tenfold in downright enjoyment. The second half of the album more than makes up for a bit of a slow-start with bluesy "The Elk" and "Waiting on the Day" and rambling album closer "Nothingless". It's these genre-shifting musical moments that transform Moment into an album worthy of more than a casual once over.
Listen to Tall Tall Trees' Moment right here.
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