Marjorie Fair is one of those bands that paints the perfect landscape (sonically speaking) for a drizzly spring day. Taking cues from Coldplay, Mercery Rev, Grandaddy, and Travis, the foursome from Los Angeles holds their own on their first release. Perfect harmonies and sunny Californian pop comes naturally to the group. Did I mention that they play it with such ease, and familiarity? The swirling melodies on songs like “Stare” stand out, as do the more upbeat songs such as “Waves” (which features a great sing-along chorus I might add). Another highlight song is track nine, “Stand In The World”. This song has large spiraling guitars and lyrics such as “I don’t feel love/ I don’t know how” that speak to the listener and tugs on their heartstrings. On the topic of lyrics, one thing that I found amusing was the way that the lyrics were in the same vein as The Thrills in that they addressed the listener and drew the audience deeper into the songs. One of the last cuts on the album, “Hold On To You” is a little different than the rest in the way that it has more of a slow country feel. I could totally see it being played in a small town bar with the locals dancing along. The band will be touring in May and June so it should be interesting to see how these guys are live. If it is like their record then I think we are going to be in for a treat. Granted the album has been pushed for a release for a while, it is now finally coming out via Capitol Records. Don’t let the push worry you. It still sounds fresh and relevant today.

Marjorie Fair
Capitol

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