Bart and Friends are so generous this year that they have released their second EP of the summer. This record, It's Not the Words You Say, is available from Portland's label Shelflife Records. As before, the players are a indie pop supergroup consisting of Bart Cummings (Cat's Miaow and Hydroplane), Pam Berry (Black Tambourine, The Pines and Castaway Stones), Scott Stevens (Summer Cats and The Earthmen), Mark Monnone (The Lucksmiths), Louis Richter (The Lucksmiths and Mid State Orange).
The songs are classic Bart and Friends -- melancholy and hope in equal measure, with jangly guitars, endearing melodies, perfect harmonies and, on this EP, Scott Stevens' lead vocals. It is a six song set that ably showcases Bart's ability to craft concise pop nuggets. Willing to include the material of others, one of their tracks re-imagines "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" as a jangle pop song.
I think my favorite track is "Everything Goes Quiet in the End", a lyric of which give the EP its title --
A perfect little tune about leaving one's lover. Or maybe not leaving one's lover. There seems to be a bit of uncertainty here.
The jangly delights of "I Was" --
Bart and Friends are having a good musical year. I encourage you to share it with them.
Our post regarding the earlier 2012 release is here.
Shelflife Records
No comments:
Post a Comment