THE SILVER SEAS
High Society
(Cheap Lullaby)
The press High Society has garnered makes frequent comparisons to Paul McCartney and Wings, Jackson Browne, and other gentle-touch pop giants from the 1970s – and they’re spot on. This Nashville quartet wears the nostalgia-rich glow of AM-radio pop so well they’re nearly critic-proof. Add to the list some Beach Boys (“Ms. November”), a nod to The Beatles’ “Because” (“Tativille”), and modern day Tin Pan Alley champ Rufus Wainwright.
And though we could go on with the comparisons -- Gerry Rafferty comes to mind as well -- it’s a terrible disservice to the band to reduce them to celebrity math. Album opener “The Country Life” sets the mood well with a two-and-a-half minute tale of city folk loose in the sticks, playing at what everybody wishes life in a rural area was really like. It’s all brisk, clean rhythm guitar, uncomplicated drum and bass rhythms and piano fills that show skill without being showy.
Closer “The Broadway Lights” brings it back to the big city, where dreams don’t necessarily go to die, but neither do they always turn out the way we thought they should. Chief songwriter/singer/guitarist Daniel Tashian sings the bruised and romance-damaged lyrics convincingly. Keyboardist Jason Lehning (who co-wrote this song) uses simple piano fills to color the tune in a way that guitars alone couldn't.
Really, there’s not much else to say aside from the fact that High Society barely crests the 30-minute mark, so keep up the good work fellas. The Silver Seas will either be your new boyfriends, or steal your girlfriend.
Reference materials: Will you like The Silvers Seas? If you like Augie March and Rufus Wainwright, then you probably will.
Bonus fun fact: High Society is technically The Silver Seas' debut. Their previous album, Starry Gazey Pie (a ridiculous title), was recorded under the name The Bees. A British band, also calling themselves The Bees, changed their name to A Band of Bees to avoid confusion. Then the U.S. Bees became The Silver Seas. So go ahead and call your own band The Bees if you want, because that name is available again.
