AgesandAges - Alright You Restless (2011)

Like neo-hippies, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, AgesandAges sound like an idealized front porch family sing-along. Just about every song off Alright You Restless exudes a friendly communal feeling, to the point where the band must regularly discuss whether they are or are not a cult. I first discovered AgesandAges, along with Boy Eats Drum Machine and Light For Fire, on last summer’s PDX Pop! Now compilation. “No Nostalgia” stood out with its wonderful rolling rhythm, buoyed by spirited group harmonies, and a catchy call and response. The rest of album roughly follows that basic formula, with a guitarist and percussionist anchoring the songs, while the rest of the seven member band fills out the sound and shares the lead and backing vocal duties. The rustic nature and appearing simplicity of the songs belie the many tempo changes, vocal arrangements, and intricate musicianship. For example, when male vocals lash through the choral pop towards the end of "When I Was Idle." I love the entire album, but the galloping “So So Freely” (mp3) and ringing “Souvenir” are two of the other standouts.


AgesandAges "Navy Parade (escape from the Black River bluffs)" HD from Alicia J. Rose on Vimeo.