by ANDREW WEBB

The lead singer of The Antiques (check them out on emusic), Joey Barro has created, on his new solo effort Season To Season, a unique - even ground breaking - sound, one reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens and Sondre Lerche [editors note: think also of Straylight Run and The Rocket Summer]. There is an obvious folk undertone to the record, but there is an experimental side to it as well. Barro utilizes the kinds of sounds you don’t normally hear in folk music: screechy electric guitars, wavy electric piano’s, wah-wah guitars and something that sounds like water drops.

Songs like “My Train” have great vocal harmonies, but again, there is a twist. The experimental effect placed on the vocals make them sound almost like a phaser, going in and out. And while the harmonies are seamless and resonate well for the most part, there is a side to the experimentation that I don’t particularly like. There are times when the music sounds really nice but is disrupted by a seemingly random guitar solo. This happens on multiple songs and gives them a very disjointed feeling.

On the other hand are songs like “Make Believe Tree” which is very “Postal Service-esque.” in that the drums are synthesized, along with the bass and other instrumentation. This is where Season to Season differs from the typical folk record. This is where that experimentation is a positive. Barro does a good job giving this record variety.

Recently, I have been enjoying to a different kind of music (than what I normal listen to), that of James Morrison and Eric Hutchinson, and seem to have all but forgotten what folk music is. The Traditionist has been a nice return to folk, due to its experimental nature. Joey Barro isn’t the kind of voice you hear and say, “oh, that’s Joey Barro” but he won’t disappoint if you are looking for a new twist on an old style. If you are new to the genre, the experimental aspects in Barro’s approach will draw you in and, perhaps, make you a fan.

To quote the bio from Banter Records, “fans will have plenty of opportunities to embrace The Traditionist’s fresh new style”.

Andrew Webb is a musician and contributing writer for Into the Hill. He lives in Colorado. Email him: nallbaka@yahoo.com

This entry was posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 8:34 pm and is filed under Album Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.