Many Voices: Mountains and Other Faraway Things

Jun ´14
29 9:34 pm
  • Posted by: Lisa Regula Meyer
  • Category: Folk

Many Voices. Mountains and Other Faraway Things.

Many Voices/Bandcamp, 2014.

https://www.facebook.com/ManyVoicesBand (you can hear samples or buy the album here)

Hailing from Denton, Texas, Many Voices is a soulful and sweet-sounding group that shows real promise with their first album, Mountains and Other Faraway Things.

“I Rode On” has harmonizing vocals and simple but compelling lyrics over solid, under-stated instrumentals; the song is endearing and comforting to start out the album like walking into a house-jam.  The second song, “Hammer,” rings in the same vein as “John Henry”- one of my all time favorite traditional ballads- but with a more personal and affirming tone, and without a death at the end; it’s easy to see this as maybe written from the point of view of a young John Henry, optimistic and full of promise.  “Nevermind” follows up with bigger, more encompassing swells of music that end almost abruptly with a clipped sound before moving into the next song.  “Dawn” takes a bit of a detour, shifting from large and symphonic to a limited vocabulary of singer and guitar, but still impresses with all that can be said in this little language.  This simple sound carries over into the first half of “Many voices,” but many other musical voices soon join in the playful tune.  “Any Other Man” takes the playfulness to a new level, and in this song, the album hits its highest level of energy with an empowering and powerful tune about the power of a single individual in this world.  “Bon Chance” is an instrumental ending to this album that leaves you wanting more, and if you listen past the end, there’s an Easter egg to be had.

Especially for a first album, this one is a treat.  Check them out, show them some love, and share a little bit of the joy they bring with a friend.  Happy (almost) Monday, Ear to the Ground readers!

Personnel: Elliot Liebman (Guitar, Vocals), Anthony Corsaro (Percussion), Robert Trusko (Bass, Vocals), Isabel Crespo (Vocals), Jordan Coffing (Vocals)

Tracks:I Rode On, Hammer, Nevermind, Dawn, Many Voices, Any Other Man, Bon Chance

 

About Lisa Regula Meyer

Lisa Regula Meyer

Lisa Regula Meyer (General Vagabond)- Lisa was born and raised in Lima, Ohio, now famous as the home of Glee. Reared on sixties and seventies music in the eighties, she still has an affinity for turntables and speakers taller than herself. After finishing two bachelor’s degrees at Ohio State Lima campus and being pronounced full of BS, she uprooted her husband and son to come to Kent and work on her Ph.D. in biology (just her- the husband is in history, and the son is in elementary). While dissertating and adjuncting, she began writing in a handful of venues, mainly for free music, pocket change, and to waste time she should be doing other things. Currently on the tenure track job hunt, she’s trying to stay busy and out of trouble, and is usually unsuccessful at this last endeavor. Lisa makes sure to warp the next generation through her own child and two surro-daughters, is a proud aspie, loves her husband and pet cat, and is great at doing what she tells others not to.

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