The The Stay Lows spent the past two and a half to three years working on their latest CD, Signature Bridge, leaving many of their fans wondering, "Will it be worth it?" The band elected to answer that question with a live show, playing the album in its entirety, at Mohawk Place in their home of Buffalo, NY.
The answer: Yes...it was worth it.
With a blending of style that is best described as instrumental with occasional lyrics, the Stay Lows are a power house of amazing instrumentation and orchestration. On stage and, one can only imagine, in the studio, the band has the wherewithal to bring was needed into each song, but without overdoing it.
While seeing the band live brings out more of what they are trying to get across, the new CD Signature Bridge is definitely a good reproduction of the feeling of the Stay Lows live show. Once you get over the quirky song titles (e.g. Ugly Babies, They Smoked the Moon Landing), you realize that instrumental music (with occasional lyrics) isn't all pretentious art rock. It can be fun and fanciful, in the same way music is when someone sings on every song.
I listened to the CD while driving around in my car this weekend and found it to be a perfect soundtrack to what I was doing. The mix works well making sure everything from the guitars to the keyboards to the cello (yes, a rock band with a cello player) comes through and is balanced without any one instrument overpowering another. I would have liked to hear more drums though, but that's just me (read: drummer's bias).
In short, it may have taking awhile to get this album out of the studios, but now that it is, no one should waste anytime running out to get a copy.
Where to find them:
RIYL: Mogwai, Sunny Day Real Estate, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, American Football
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