Spring Break
Aloha to new album 'Light Works'
Album review: Aloha
Natalye Childress Smith
Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Features
Indie rock quartet Aloha have come out with the perfect segue into the holiday season with a seven-song EP entitled "Light Works," out today.
Past Aloha recordings, particularly those done earlier on in the band's history, have been heavy on instrumentation, with so much going on that an untrained ear might become overwhelmed. On first listen, "Light Works" might uphold itself as slimmed down, but on the contrary; the amount of thought and innovation put into each song is vast as only Aloha know how to make it.
Where jazz influences were once, almost transparently, the trademark sound of Aloha, they have now been replaced by woven layers of acoustic guitar backed by the gentle, deep bottom of the bass. Add to that the embellishments of keys, marimba, vibes and various other percussion instruments, and what you've got is a brilliant patchwork of songs, complex in character but palatable as ever.
The golden thread which ties it all together comes in the form of the soft, gauzy voice of guitarist Tony Cavallario. His stripped-down vocals are clear, smooth and more vulnerable than ever before.
Although it consists of seven tracks, "Light Works" is only an EP in name because of its long, windy passages of sound that creep into the room and subtly take over, so much so the listener is disarmed and swept away in the music.
The album consists of intricate, floating, repetitive guitar lines - which labelmate Joan of Arc is famous for - incorporated into the post-rock jazz structures the band has mastered, with swells and cadences adding tension and character throughout.
"The state of mind was like, 'Let's make something nice that stands out, with a very specific atmosphere - something warm the people will have a use for this time of year,'" Cavallario said.
And so it stands - the perfect soundtrack for winter, which emanates quiet passion through the use of simple lines and unpredictable turns.
"Body Buzz" comfortably begins the album like a letter to an old friend, with a sound reminiscent to the Aloha of recent years. The momentum then slows, leading into "Broken Light," where the melody wanders in whimsical patterns of tonality and texture, never settling on anything too familiar.
"The End" marks the midway point through the album and is a lively, gaiting piece with a straightforward tune and a folky, strummed chorus boasting vocals not dissimilar to The Shins' singer James Mercer.
The stand-out gem of the album is "Passengers" in which Cavallario lightly treads upon his words as he sweetly sings "you're a growing presence in my ever-shrinking universe" above the echelons of the song.
The music on "Light Works" emulates the geographical tendencies of the band members. Although the four are spread throughout three states, they have moved closer, distance-wise, to one another in the past year and it's evident in "Light Works," as they have created something much more cohesive and intimate than ever before.
"In my mind, it is fitting that we would release songs of this nature, now," bassist Matthew Gengler said. "It makes perfect sense to me."
The band, which is planning on releasing a full length in early 2008, threw a kink into its track record of bi-annual album releases since 2000 by sneaking this EP in at the close of the year. The reason could be boiled down to a simple defiance of the norm.
"We could have just recorded a single for the forthcoming LP," Cavallario said. "But we wanted to do something outside the cycle of tour/album/tour/album."
As a whole, Aloha are incredibly focused and detailed about their craft. Ask any member of the band what makes a good show and they will most likely all answer "sound check." So it makes sense that particular attention to the intricacies of the music is central to their album presentation.
It's not evident which works more in their favor: their relevant backgrounds, the meshing of the respective members, or perhaps a little bit of both, but it seems as if this quartet was born to make music together and each person functions as a separate but equally important part.
While each band member contributes substantially to the overall composition and sound, lyric-writing duties are the responsibility of Cavallario, the resident journalist. Gengler, who recently completed his masters in library information and science, has taken up creating the song titles, a job which he says suits him.
Percussionist Cale Parks, who earned his degree in percussion jazz studies from Bowling Green State University, shares duties of drums and other ambient instruments with the band's newest member, TJ Lipple, who has been with the group since they began writing 2004's "Here Comes Everyone."
They approached the album in a much more minimalist way than past years, but their use of silence interspersed throughout communicates volumes.
"The instruments are lighter, but the words are heavier," Lipple said.
He also added his own special touch, as he and engineer Nick Anderson recorded the album at Arlington, Va.-based Inner Ear Studios. It was then mixed, mastered and produced by Silver Sonya, Lipple's own entrepreneurial venture housed within Inner Ear.
"I love this band and am honored to work with the music in every capacity," Lipple said. "Whether it's helping write, deciding what mic to put on the beater head of the kick, or deciding how much silence to enter between the songs."
Aloha have been with the Illinois-based indie label Polyvinyl Records since they first began sending out demos in the late '90s. Along those lines, the quartet is typically unfaltering in style and sound but still manages to come out with something new and more evolved with every step.
The trick Aloha have mastered - and other bands should take note - is the ability to expand on their sound and make each new release a step up from the last. The band's sound has clearly evolved, but the influence of its older music still persists.
"The way this band works is very fluid and confusing," Lipple said. "Things rarely happen the same way twice. I don't know what instrument I play. I love it."
"Light Works" is one of those albums that starts out at the highest point possible and only exceeds expectations from then on. These four boys from the East have made their most delicate, honest album to date, certain to carve its own special niche into the listener's heart.
Natalye Childress Smith can be reached at ncsmith@statehornet.com
Past Aloha recordings, particularly those done earlier on in the band's history, have been heavy on instrumentation, with so much going on that an untrained ear might become overwhelmed. On first listen, "Light Works" might uphold itself as slimmed down, but on the contrary; the amount of thought and innovation put into each song is vast as only Aloha know how to make it.
Where jazz influences were once, almost transparently, the trademark sound of Aloha, they have now been replaced by woven layers of acoustic guitar backed by the gentle, deep bottom of the bass. Add to that the embellishments of keys, marimba, vibes and various other percussion instruments, and what you've got is a brilliant patchwork of songs, complex in character but palatable as ever.
The golden thread which ties it all together comes in the form of the soft, gauzy voice of guitarist Tony Cavallario. His stripped-down vocals are clear, smooth and more vulnerable than ever before.
Although it consists of seven tracks, "Light Works" is only an EP in name because of its long, windy passages of sound that creep into the room and subtly take over, so much so the listener is disarmed and swept away in the music.
The album consists of intricate, floating, repetitive guitar lines - which labelmate Joan of Arc is famous for - incorporated into the post-rock jazz structures the band has mastered, with swells and cadences adding tension and character throughout.
"The state of mind was like, 'Let's make something nice that stands out, with a very specific atmosphere - something warm the people will have a use for this time of year,'" Cavallario said.
And so it stands - the perfect soundtrack for winter, which emanates quiet passion through the use of simple lines and unpredictable turns.
"Body Buzz" comfortably begins the album like a letter to an old friend, with a sound reminiscent to the Aloha of recent years. The momentum then slows, leading into "Broken Light," where the melody wanders in whimsical patterns of tonality and texture, never settling on anything too familiar.
"The End" marks the midway point through the album and is a lively, gaiting piece with a straightforward tune and a folky, strummed chorus boasting vocals not dissimilar to The Shins' singer James Mercer.
The stand-out gem of the album is "Passengers" in which Cavallario lightly treads upon his words as he sweetly sings "you're a growing presence in my ever-shrinking universe" above the echelons of the song.
The music on "Light Works" emulates the geographical tendencies of the band members. Although the four are spread throughout three states, they have moved closer, distance-wise, to one another in the past year and it's evident in "Light Works," as they have created something much more cohesive and intimate than ever before.
"In my mind, it is fitting that we would release songs of this nature, now," bassist Matthew Gengler said. "It makes perfect sense to me."
The band, which is planning on releasing a full length in early 2008, threw a kink into its track record of bi-annual album releases since 2000 by sneaking this EP in at the close of the year. The reason could be boiled down to a simple defiance of the norm.
"We could have just recorded a single for the forthcoming LP," Cavallario said. "But we wanted to do something outside the cycle of tour/album/tour/album."
As a whole, Aloha are incredibly focused and detailed about their craft. Ask any member of the band what makes a good show and they will most likely all answer "sound check." So it makes sense that particular attention to the intricacies of the music is central to their album presentation.
It's not evident which works more in their favor: their relevant backgrounds, the meshing of the respective members, or perhaps a little bit of both, but it seems as if this quartet was born to make music together and each person functions as a separate but equally important part.
While each band member contributes substantially to the overall composition and sound, lyric-writing duties are the responsibility of Cavallario, the resident journalist. Gengler, who recently completed his masters in library information and science, has taken up creating the song titles, a job which he says suits him.
Percussionist Cale Parks, who earned his degree in percussion jazz studies from Bowling Green State University, shares duties of drums and other ambient instruments with the band's newest member, TJ Lipple, who has been with the group since they began writing 2004's "Here Comes Everyone."
They approached the album in a much more minimalist way than past years, but their use of silence interspersed throughout communicates volumes.
"The instruments are lighter, but the words are heavier," Lipple said.
He also added his own special touch, as he and engineer Nick Anderson recorded the album at Arlington, Va.-based Inner Ear Studios. It was then mixed, mastered and produced by Silver Sonya, Lipple's own entrepreneurial venture housed within Inner Ear.
"I love this band and am honored to work with the music in every capacity," Lipple said. "Whether it's helping write, deciding what mic to put on the beater head of the kick, or deciding how much silence to enter between the songs."
Aloha have been with the Illinois-based indie label Polyvinyl Records since they first began sending out demos in the late '90s. Along those lines, the quartet is typically unfaltering in style and sound but still manages to come out with something new and more evolved with every step.
The trick Aloha have mastered - and other bands should take note - is the ability to expand on their sound and make each new release a step up from the last. The band's sound has clearly evolved, but the influence of its older music still persists.
"The way this band works is very fluid and confusing," Lipple said. "Things rarely happen the same way twice. I don't know what instrument I play. I love it."
"Light Works" is one of those albums that starts out at the highest point possible and only exceeds expectations from then on. These four boys from the East have made their most delicate, honest album to date, certain to carve its own special niche into the listener's heart.
Natalye Childress Smith can be reached at ncsmith@statehornet.com
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