REVIEW: Hey Rosetta! - Seeds

Hey Rosetta! packs a lot into an album.  Seeds has crunchy rockers, folky pieces, anthems and introspective musings. And most importantly, it has a lot of really good songs.  So good, that I'm more than a little surprised that Seeds hasn't received an avalanche of positive press.

So what is the sound of Hey Rosetta!?  Tim Baker's excellent vocals have a melancholy tone reminiscent of Beirut,  but the songs themselves soar joyfully on a full, almost ornate, indie pop tapestry.  In addition to drums, bass and acoustic and electric guitar, the band boasts a violin and cello.  While the band has drawn comparisons to fellow Canadians Arcade Fire, to my ears the better comparison is British band Fanfarlo, although I think Hey Rosetta! may have a wider sonic range.  Try album track "Yer Spring" --




Hey Rosetta! is from St. John's, Newfoundland.  The members are Tim Baker (vocals, guitar), Adam Hogan (guitar), Josh Ward (bass, vocals), Phil Maloney (drums, percussion), Romesh Thavanathan (cello), and Kinley Dowling (violin).  While their prior recordings are similar, Seeds reflects an expansion of the bands sound.  There is more variety in the structure of the songs, and a greater willingness to rock from the opening note.  I can't say whether the approach reflects greater confidence, but if it does, it is justified.


The reflective musings of "Bandages" --



Seeds is released today on Sonic Records.  It was produced by Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub, The Delgados and many more).  It already has been nominated for a Juno prize in Canada.

New Sum (Nous Sommes)


Overall, this album is warm and uplifting.  It seems to me that if I feel good and energetic every time I listen to and album, I've got an album that will be on my year-end list.  This is such and album.

A live acoustic version of "Welcome" --





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