Here we go...
Just to make sure I was ready to sit down and write this review of sorts, I made sure to listen to that album a couple of times through beforehand; I'm on my third listen through now as we speak. Citay's third-full length album "Dream Get Together" is their first to really be nationally recognized. I haven't listened to their other two, but I'm strongly considering it after having listened to their newest one. Its a relatively new album, released January 26th, 2010. The band is based out of San Francisco and has a sort of rock/ indie feel. Its a relatively short album, only eight songs long, but still keeps you looping through the tracks well after it has finished. It starts off with a lighthearted song called "Careful with that Hat". This song is probably one of my favorites among the album. The transition between it and the next song (only 0:54 seconds long after the 6:59 long tune of "Careful with that Hat) is great and gives the listener a little break, hence the title "Return from Silence". Citay likes to focus mainly on their instrumentals which consists of a front acoustic and electric guitar, backed up by a running bass line and some simple drumming. The vocals come in occasionally, and when they do, they compliment the instrumentals really well, being either a happy or an ambient chant.
In the albums title song, "Dream Get Together", you hear a bouncy beat coupled with simple almost folkish vocals. The bouncy pace keeps up with "Secret Breakfast", but changes a bit with a bit of a more relaxed melody, easing the listener into the first down-paced song, "Mirror Kisses". "Mirror Kisses" is definitely in competition with "Careful with that Hat" for my favorite song on the album. It has a very slow, simple acoustic rhythm with a slow bass line behind. The vocals are in a slightly higher octave and have a very ambient, flowing quality to them. A female vocalist later comes in to compliment the lead vocalist, which only increases its ambiance, giving the song a very dreamy, loving quality. The song slowly leads into "Hunter", which still contains Citay's basics, acoustic, electric guitar, simple drums and simple bass. The instrumentals are coupled with the almost silent cooing of a few female vocalists. This song, coupled with "Mirror Kisses", really helps to slow down the upbeat pace of the first three songs. Outside of the female vocalists, who are almost entirely drowned out once the electric guitar begins its own signing, "Hunter" is almost entirely instrumentals. Citay does a good job of balancing vocals and instrumentals in this album. They have songs with vocals, but not so few that its awkward to hear them sing, wanting them to just shut up and play, but not so many that you wish they would convey their ability to play an instrument. They emphasize their vocalist's skills just as much as they do that of the guitarists, the bassist, and drummer.
"Fortunate Sun" brings the album back to a bit of lightheartedness, bringing back some simple soft vocals. A running bass line compliments the softness of the lyrics and the constant strumming of the acoustic really helps to accentuate it. This song, along with "Hunter" are the longest on the album, separated only by six seconds (7:02 vs. 7:08). Having the two longest songs in the album back to back may seem weird, but "Hunter" rounds out the more down-trodden" part of the album and "Fortunate Sun" really lifts the listener back up. Once again, Citay does a good balancing act, but this time, within one song. In "Fortunate Sun", the vocals, guitars, drums, and bass all get their fair share of the seven minutes. The song ends on a softer note, adding in a little bit of piano and some synthesizing to bring back that ambient quality that was heard in "Mirror Kisses".
The album finishes out with the 3:45 long "Tugboat". As far as I'm concerned, this song is a perfect one to end on. Its a perfect blend between the ambient and upbeat that has been seen throughout the album. The instrumentals and the vocals compliment each other incredibly well and both show their importance throughout the album. Overall, I was impressed with Citay's album and "Dream Get Together" may make me a fan. Overall, I would have to go a little bit above the Metacritic score of 76 and give Citay a solid 80. Although the album isn't very long, the songs, even though having the same elements to all of them, have a great variety and stager the tone throughout the album, without making it seem awkward. Artists who often try to merge upbeat with a bit of a slower pace tend to be unsure as to what order to put the songs in. Citay, however, eases the listener into every song and there are no awkward transitions. I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who likes rock/indie, but is looking for a new experiment.
Check it out and take a listen here.
EDIT: Just a special note, the link I provided up above to take a listen is to Amazon.com. I don't know how long they're doing this for, but as of now, "Careful with that Hat" is a FREE download! Take a listen, its totally FREE and LEGAL!
In the albums title song, "Dream Get Together", you hear a bouncy beat coupled with simple almost folkish vocals. The bouncy pace keeps up with "Secret Breakfast", but changes a bit with a bit of a more relaxed melody, easing the listener into the first down-paced song, "Mirror Kisses". "Mirror Kisses" is definitely in competition with "Careful with that Hat" for my favorite song on the album. It has a very slow, simple acoustic rhythm with a slow bass line behind. The vocals are in a slightly higher octave and have a very ambient, flowing quality to them. A female vocalist later comes in to compliment the lead vocalist, which only increases its ambiance, giving the song a very dreamy, loving quality. The song slowly leads into "Hunter", which still contains Citay's basics, acoustic, electric guitar, simple drums and simple bass. The instrumentals are coupled with the almost silent cooing of a few female vocalists. This song, coupled with "Mirror Kisses", really helps to slow down the upbeat pace of the first three songs. Outside of the female vocalists, who are almost entirely drowned out once the electric guitar begins its own signing, "Hunter" is almost entirely instrumentals. Citay does a good job of balancing vocals and instrumentals in this album. They have songs with vocals, but not so few that its awkward to hear them sing, wanting them to just shut up and play, but not so many that you wish they would convey their ability to play an instrument. They emphasize their vocalist's skills just as much as they do that of the guitarists, the bassist, and drummer.
"Fortunate Sun" brings the album back to a bit of lightheartedness, bringing back some simple soft vocals. A running bass line compliments the softness of the lyrics and the constant strumming of the acoustic really helps to accentuate it. This song, along with "Hunter" are the longest on the album, separated only by six seconds (7:02 vs. 7:08). Having the two longest songs in the album back to back may seem weird, but "Hunter" rounds out the more down-trodden" part of the album and "Fortunate Sun" really lifts the listener back up. Once again, Citay does a good balancing act, but this time, within one song. In "Fortunate Sun", the vocals, guitars, drums, and bass all get their fair share of the seven minutes. The song ends on a softer note, adding in a little bit of piano and some synthesizing to bring back that ambient quality that was heard in "Mirror Kisses".
The album finishes out with the 3:45 long "Tugboat". As far as I'm concerned, this song is a perfect one to end on. Its a perfect blend between the ambient and upbeat that has been seen throughout the album. The instrumentals and the vocals compliment each other incredibly well and both show their importance throughout the album. Overall, I was impressed with Citay's album and "Dream Get Together" may make me a fan. Overall, I would have to go a little bit above the Metacritic score of 76 and give Citay a solid 80. Although the album isn't very long, the songs, even though having the same elements to all of them, have a great variety and stager the tone throughout the album, without making it seem awkward. Artists who often try to merge upbeat with a bit of a slower pace tend to be unsure as to what order to put the songs in. Citay, however, eases the listener into every song and there are no awkward transitions. I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who likes rock/indie, but is looking for a new experiment.
Check it out and take a listen here.
EDIT: Just a special note, the link I provided up above to take a listen is to Amazon.com. I don't know how long they're doing this for, but as of now, "Careful with that Hat" is a FREE download! Take a listen, its totally FREE and LEGAL!
No comments:
Post a Comment