A music blog dedicated to my ever-expanding tastes. A musical journey with endless pitstops along the way. Bringing you the best of what I see and hear.
Despite their association with some of my other favorite bands Lucius and You Won't, it has taken me an astonishing amount of time to get to know Brooklyn trio Pearl and the Beard. It wasn't until seeing them live for the first time at The Wild Honey Pie's Summer Camp that I really fell for the band hook line and sinker.
Pearl and the Beard combine many of the wonderfully little elements I absolutely adore: diverse instrumentation (guitar, drums, cello), incredible vocal prowess with goosebump-inducing harmonies, smart and engaging lyricism; the list is pretty much endless. There's also the band's ability to mix traditional folk, infectious ear-catching pop, and utilize their string player in a way that's more than just ornamental.
Featuring everything from sentimental ballads and fiery love songs, Pearl and the Beard are the kind of band that let their personalities shine through their music. Clearly enjoying what they're creating and creating it together, they allow their songs to be fun and occasionally humorous when they call for it while also being able to deliver serious folk epics ("Devil's Head Down") or scorching rock jams ("You"). They're a band with seemingly limitless potential that are only getting better at their already rather stellar songcraft.
My discovery of England's Daughter came from Eric over at The Wild Honey Pie. After a friendship forged from me simply being at the right place at the right time in the form of Wild Honey Pie events and showcases, Eric would constantly ask me if I've seen this or that session that they put out that day/week. My answer was usually a guilty no and one time that guilt led to me immediately seek out the latest, recommended session which just so happened to be Daughter.
What a session that was. Daughter are, with the fear of sounding like an over-exaggerator, creating some of the most staggeringly beautiful music I've ever encountered. What makes Daughter so unique in how incredible thought out every aspect of their songs seem to be. Principal songwriter Elena Tonra has an absolute gift for painting utterly devastating pictures of failed love. It's a rarity where absolutely every single phrase in a song is important or invaluable but that's what you get with Tonra's heartbreakingly poetic lyricism.
"If you're still breathing you're the lucky ones because most of us are breathing through corrupted lungs/Setting fire to our insides for fun/Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong" Tonra sings on "Youth" and damn if it doesn't pack all of the punches. It's one of the first moments you experience in "Youth" and the lack of restraint is characteristic of Tonra's songwriting. All the while being set to these incredible arrangements that find the perfect balance between stark and lush. Tonra and the feelings she envokes are at the forefront of Daughter but clearly not its only draw.
Despite their ability to induce sudden empathetic heartbreak, Daughter aren't the type to be relegated to pure mood music - used only on the break up mix or times when you just feel like feeling sad, Daughter's songs have a poppy momentum that makes them capable of repetition without coming across as baseless; losing any of their impact. His Young Heart's "The Woods" proves Daughter's haunting beauty can exist separate from tales of heartbreak. It doesn't matter the tale Tonra decides to tell, it'll be carefully crafted, well plotted artfully arranged, and achingly tender.
Daughter's very good debut album If You Leave is out now on 4AD. I highly recommend it.
In a couple days, All Around Sound turns three. To celebrate, we're continuing last year's tradition of featuring mixes from friends/influencers of the blog. Enjoy!
My introduction to The Wild Honey Pie happened through a chance meeting with staff photographer/videographer Alex Munro at Conveyor's record release show. We happened to have a mutual friend there, got along famously, and afterwards would trade music suggestions based on small amount we knew of one another's tastes as well as old-fashioned excitement to share over Twitter. A lot of Alex's suggestions would be bands featured in the Wild Honey Pie's Buzzsessions and/or Honey I'm Home Sessions. It was a strange sort of chance that I happened to meet other staff members as I showed up to various events like one of their co-sponsored CMJ shows or their 3rd Birthday show. While I showed up for the bands, it was after the absolutely stacked with talent birthday show that I realized The Wild Honey Pie is a site I should be paying a hell of a lot more attention to.
While there's a whole lot of worth going on on The Wild Honey Pie, one of my favorite things and the most immersive, time-consuming thing I find myself invested in are their Buzzsessions. Beautifully shot and featuring absolutely fantastic bands flexing their live chops in an intimate setting, the Buzzsessions are pretty much one of the best things The Wild Honey Pie offers. Something truly unique, and interesting, and truly worthwhile and apparently I'm not alone in that thinking. For The Wild Honey Pie's playlist contribution founder/head bee Eric Weiner chose some of his favorite buzzsessions (which also happen to contain some of my own) as well as a couple of his favorite new tracks.
This holiday weekend two things happened: First of all, I got really into experimental folk collective Bobby after remembering they existed. Secondly, I discovered while they've yet to put out any new music since last year's debut record BOBBY that earlier this year they did stop by The Wild Honey Pie and played some new songs for them. Score!
In "Gummy Luck" and "Potluck" we get two sprawling psychedelic jams that are catchy beyond belief. Different instruments shift in an out of focus and vocals handled in a sort of hit-and-run capacity. Arcing across like lightning before disappearing with no real evidence they were there.
Overall the two song session does its job of making me all kinds of excited for a new record as I'm having a hard time turning "Potluck" off. It's sure to be a favorite on the new record.
This year I was luckily enough to discover not only the ultra talented female fronted Brooklyn quintet Lucius but also their friends and frequent collaborators The Wild Honey Pie and this holiday season the two combined to give their fans a treat in the form of one of The Wild Honey Pie's amazing Honey I'm Home sessions. Not only that, we get a new song out of it in "Two of Us on the Run". It's got everything you've come to expect and love from the band as Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig's outstanding vocals that intertwine so flawlessly. Understated but no less moving, "Two of Us on the Run" resembles Songs From the Bromley House's "Shenandoah" in it's acoustic ramble that gives way to controlled displays of the ladies' ferocious vocal chops.
The fact that Lucius haven't released a full length yet (as a quintet) is downright criminal. Here's hoping they're going to churn out one in the year. Until then enjoy "Two of Us on the Run". Guaranteed to warm your heart on even the coldest winter night.
Check out "Wildewoman" also from their holiday Honey I'm Home Session and make sure to pop over to The Wild Honey Pie for some free downloads of the two song session.
