Say, friend… Do you love all things lovely? Well, shucks… so do I! Oh, dear one, do you want to listen to something lovely? Spendid, buddy… because I have something for you!
We featured a song from Lily Arbor recently but felt they needed an EP review as well. They are dreamy in every sense; with whimsical melodies and harmonies, Folk/Americana musical nuances, and lyrical gems.
The EP begins with Dark Alleys and exactly what you want from an indie folk duo. Thoughtful lyrics that tell a story of the downtrodden being lifted up by someone who loves them and who is there for them. The low harmony cuts like butter and is soft like a feather at the same time. I love that about when women sing a low tenor harmony… it’s such a rich texture! Musically, it’s simple and keen with the acoustic-led strum and simple toms/tambourine on the drums. All in all, it’s very, very nice.
Flowered Wallet is the perfect heartbreak song. Melodically, it’s soft and tender yet the lyrics are about a loss of love that is so truthfully painful and very broad. This song features only an acoustic guitar with the added xylophone and a slight percussion thump. The xylophone creates a playfulness that make this song such a beautiful paradox.
The third song, Stormy Sea is truly magical – definitely a favorite of mine. With the newly added use of piano and cello to make a wonderfully luscious melancholy. If you know my style by now, you know that melancholy is literal life to me. This song is about, in my opinion, the anxiety and darkness our minds sometimes go to when we think about the future, our lives and how we are or aren’t living it to the fullest, and our eventual peril. Yes, that’s deep and depressing, but we all go there… oh boy, do I go there! Stormy Sea is now one of those songs I will listen to when I need to think. (You know you have a “thinking” playlist. Don’t act like you don’t!) This song is as pensive as it is charming.
Oh, did you need some Bluegrass-infused Folk joy? Oh, well… here you go! White Lies begins with that country realm with the harmonious “oohs” in the beginning and we know we’re in for a ride. I am here – for – it- honey! (Imagine me doing my best Jonathan Van Ness impression on that one.) Unrequited love deals us some hella hard life lessons, but it also serves up some wonderful art – like this song, for example! The chorus with the piano and drums adding to that full-bodied sound we’ve not heard yet this EP is a greeting well received.
We added Happy Land to an Americana playlist recently and we stand by it 100%. It’s a true Indie Folk gem! The harmonies alone make it something truly special, but add some cool electric guitar hints/rhythms after the first chorus into the second verse and we have a newly layered piece of yummy goodness. Dare I say we have some mandolin action? I dare it, I dare say it… there is some mandolin action and it’s SO pretty. One thing I haven’t mentioned with the vocals so far is the strength and control in what some would label “simple” voices. The melody is fortified and strong and the harmonies are tenacious and stable. And on this song, in particular, they are truly delectable with some added parts to create a choral sound. I am a big fan of the understated vocal and what it brings to music as a whole and especially the Folk genre.
Listen, ya’ll… I’ve never steered you astray, have I? I’ve never over-sold you, have I? I don’t think so, because I don’t review what I don’t absolutely love… and I absolutely LOVE Lily Arbor and this EP. Come on, Spring, we are dying for you! We are longing for the sun!
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