Hmmm, when the rather prominent presence of keyboards quickly presented itself in this North Carolina band's brand of lush, chilled out indie/alternative rock, I was initially somewhat displeased, as I'm generally not into that sort of thing and it adds further "hipness" to music such as this that's already "hip" to a certain degree of retro-esque influence. But after all is said and done, I gotta say, these guys are pretty good. The fact that I hate most music that predates the 80's doesn't bode well for bands such as this, who seem to be drawing much more from the late-60's and 70's, but these guys manage. The production has a certain intentional rawness to it, but just barely. The mix is pretty bright and the levels are balanced, so it's mainly just a sense of dryness (or at times distance) that lends that sort of quality to the tones, though something about the character of the sound does seem to point towards a dated edge. Honestly a large portion of that could be coming directly from the style of the music itself though, which very convincingly references a vastly different musical landscape than what's out there at present, while still infusing a certain contemporary melancholy - which is probably what wins me over in the end. The songs are basically straightforward chord progressions that flirt with everything from subtly poppy simplicity to textural layering, never quite coming across as overly catchy, but still remaining memorable. It's a pretty interesting balance that works to the band's benefit, and their palette includes everything from acoustic guitars to twangy leads that almost have an odd country flare going on (most notably in "Center of Attention"). "Coastal Plains" is somewhat slower and softer, gradually building in with some electric guitars adding volume towards the closing moments, and by contrast "My Favorite Places" is among the only tracks that kind of has a lighthearted undercurrent to its chord progressions. The succinct "All Night" hints at some rock basics in the guitar lines, while some of the harmonized vocals are so 70's it's almost amazing, so it's practically shocking that the track never opens up into a full-blown 70's rock anthem or anything like that. Like the opener, "Holland Tunnel at 1am" uses a lot of keyboards that aren't really to my liking, but it does fit, and therefore I can live with it and find it to be acceptable (if not almost enjoyable), which definitely says something coming from me. Of course, the absolutely pulsing basslines and strange hums really make for a nice accompaniment. And hell, that first track, "Financial District", ends up being one of my favorites in the end, as the instrumentation works well together and it's sort of catchy. The singing is excellent throughout the entire disc as well, rather restrained, but not to the point of being monotonous, and offering just enough layering and emphasis to fit the laidback nature of the music and still express plenty of feeling and character. The CD-R comes in a nice little package that looks to have been screenprinted on textured matte cream paper, using both minimal imagery and text for a simple yet effective D.I.Y. aesthetic. No lyrics are included, but you can understand pretty much every word and things seem to follow suit with the music, exploring quaint personal narratives that aren't too direct, and at times can be mildly quirky in a sense. Not bad overall. These guys actually ought to be able to really do well with this material as it can appeal to people like myself who rarely delve into this style, as well as a wide range of other listeners more accustomed to these related approaches. I wish I could make a few points of reference to other artists, simply to provide a slightly better idea of what Summer Set explores herein, but I'd be foolish to do so since I'm not really into that whole era. Needless to say, I feel like anyone who gives these guys a listen would be familiar with a few of their influences, regardless of whether or not you could cite them by name. I'd actually enjoy hearing more from this band, this is a nice, relaxing little EP. Well done. Yeah, I like this... I do.
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Running time - 24:20, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Financial District, Coastal Plains, My Favorite Places]
Summer Set - http://www.summersetworld.com
