Artist: Release: Break in the Clouds
MusicBrainz: 2a4e472f-4ad7-41b6-b57f-4e9179d121ad
Released: 2010-11-22
Label: Ruff Shod
Catalog#: 30911
Country: US

Tracklisting:

01. Point of You (03:15)
02. Cosmic Pulse (03:16)
03. Feathers Rise (03:24)
04. Lexington (02:26)
05. Drop (04:26)
06. Barefoot Friend (03:16)
07. What is Time? (02:50)
08. Break in the Clouds (02:46)
09. Asleep With the Light On (02:54)
10. Rhythm of the Road (02:56)
11. Go On (03:10)
12. Ancient Sea (03:13)
13. Black and Silver (04:06)
14. Breathe (01:44)

Hailing from Colarado, Elephant Revival is a collective of folk-inspired musicians led by Bridget LawΓÇÖs vocals and fiddle, joined by a quartet of other musicians, including Dango Rose on bass and Daniel Rodriguez on guitars. Everybody sings, and everybody plays multiple instruments. All this activity amounts to a wide variety of lush, mostly-acoustic sounds, which veer from the country-bluegrass end of the spectrum (ΓÇ£LexingtonΓÇ¥, ΓÇ£Break in the CloudsΓÇ¥) to moodier, bass-heavy tunes (ΓÇ£Cosmic PulseΓÇ¥, ΓÇ£DropΓÇ¥). If indie rock were played primarily on mandolin, cello, banjo, and octave violin, it might sound something like this.

ThatΓÇÖs not to say that the songs are experimental or bizarreΓÇöguitar and vocals remain the focus of these songs, itΓÇÖs just that the arrangements and instrumentation lend something refreshing to many of them. The fiddle on ΓÇ£Barefoot FriendΓÇ¥ brings an alt-country vibe, while ΓÇ£Break in the CloudsΓÇ¥ is reminiscent of a waltz. Most of all, what makes this record so successfulΓÇöand it is very successful indeedΓÇöare the songs, which are solidly constructed and performed with conviction. At 14 tracks, the album loses momentum in its second half, but remains generally engaging nevertheless, and well worth a listen to anyone with a fondness for the ΓÇ£folkΓÇ¥ element of ΓÇ£folk-rockΓÇ¥.