Living Mirage – Head And The Heart (as told by Mr. Bones)

In their 4th release H&H have joined the likes of Lake Street Drive by turning up the pop-o-meter and moving away from its original indie vibe. Even with the slicker production though there is still plenty of rootsy magic between lead vocalists Jonathan Russel and Charity Rose Thielen to satisfy those looking for the folk influenced sound of past releases such as Let’s Be Still. It’s just amped up a notch or two with synths & bass this time. One thing that remains throughout the album is their upbeat slant on life. Those who lean towards the curmudgeonly side might find the disk a bit schmaltzy but this reviewer certainly enjoyed the sound and the band’s “joie de vivre”.

RIYL: Snow Patrol, Tired Pony

***1 See You Through My Eyes – moving Rusell/Thielen duet about breaking up with great bridge (med, 3:54)
***2 Missed Connection – driving bass line energizes this art-pop tune (fast, 3:15)
*3 People Need A Melody – ode to maturation with a folk-rock vibe and nice piano driven orchestration (med, 4:12)
*4 Honeybee – quirky Russel/Thielen duet with ‘old time’ feel (slow, 3:16)
5 Brenda – feel good pop tune with spacey synths & distorted guitar (med, 3:51)
6 Running Through Hell – Fleetwood Mac sort of pop sound (med, 3:40)
7 Up Against The Wall – Commercial radio pop sound (fast, 3:36)
**8 Saving Grace – almost spiritual call for help that starts with simple piano and builds nicely against Thielen’s backing vocals and plucked violin (slow, 3:40)
**9 I Found Out – joyous, full bore rocker about putting down SM and enjoying life with driving strings and synths & an abrupt ending. (fast, 3:53)
***10 Living Mirage – beautiful opening with simple guitar & harmonica building to crescendo with mesmerizing Rusell/Thielen vocals (fast, 5:17)
11 Glory of Music – folky ode to the power of music and the life of a troubadour with Russel singing over an acoustic guitar (slow, 3:21)