Let's Be Still

In 2010, Virginia native Jonathan Russell and California transplant Josiah Johnson formed the core songwriting partnership of The Head and The Heart in their new hometown of Seattle. The band was quickly rounded out with the addition of drummer Tyler Williams, keyboardist Kenny Hensley, vocalist/violinist Charity Rose Thielen and bassist Chris Zasche. Their 2011 debut album on Sub Pop became one of the label’s best‐se­lling debut releases to date. In a few short months The Head and The Heart went from playing open mic nights to selling out San Francisco’s Fi­llmore, Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, New York’s Terminal 5 and more, building a loyal fan base across the country. The new album, Let’s Be Still, is a snapshot of a band that didn’t exist just four short years ago. The album was recorded at Seattle’s Studio Litho with assistance from prior production collaborator Shawn Simmons. Later, the band traversed the country to mix the album in Bridgeport, CT, with Peter Katis, revered for his work with bands such as the National, Interpol, and the Swell Season. Review: Recorded in Seattle, Washington and mixed in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the sophomore outing from rags to riches indie folk collective Head and the Heart sounds like the product of two coast lines. The band’s 2011 debut introduced an unpretentious, musically astute gang of pub-spawned troubadours who liked their country soft and their rock & roll pretty, and the lush and languid Let’s Be Still doubles down on that esthetic, offering up a 13-track road trip of a record that’s built on a foundation of breezy West Coast pop and propelled by easy, East Coast Americana. The group’s predi­lection for heartfelt, Avett Brothers-meets-Fleet Foxes roots rock is apparent right out of the gate with “Homecoming Heroes” and “Another Story,” both of which utilize familiar folk-rock architecture to spin earnest and familiar tales concerning the two body parts from which the group takes its name. Both are lovely, especially the latter with its falsetto-led refrain of “can we go on like it once was,” a sentiment that could just as easily apply to a band experiencing the growing pains of fame as it does a pair of pained young lovers, but Let’s Be Still engages the most when it tiptoes outside of its comfort zone. Both the propulsive “Summertime,” with its ELO-inspired intro “Springtime,” the floor board-breaking boot-stomper “Shake,” and the amiable, Fleetwood Mac-kissed title cut suggest a band that’s more than capable of breaking out of their NPR-approved shell – even largely forgettable cuts like “Cruel” and the psych-tinged “10,0000 Weight in Gold” harbor moments of mad glee, but despite its best efforts, Let’s Be Still mostly resonates on a superficial level, albeit a warm and inviting one. All Music Guide – James Christopher Monger Track Listing: Disc 0: Another Story Springtime Summertime Josh McBride Shake Cruel Let’s Be Still My Friends 10,000 Weight In Gold Fire/Fear These Days are Numbered Gone