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We’re just a few short days from the kick-off of ACL Festival, and we’ve been trying our hardest to support the acts we love. We caught up with The Rosebuds, who released Sand + Silence earlier this year via Western Vinyl, for a quick little interview. Here’s what they Ivan to say.
Rating: 
Whenever your album is produced by a big name in the indie rock world, let alone Justin Vernon, there’s going to be a great deal of attention drawn to you by this simple fact, and not by the catalogue you’ve already generated as a group that’s been around for 13 years now. I was impressed with Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard’s last effort on Loud Planes Fly Low and thus, regardless of big names, my expectations were high for Sand + Silence, but perhaps a bit too high.
When I heard a single for this album, “Blue Eyes,” I was pretty stoked to hear the rest of the album; it seemed like the band was stepping into this surf rock tinged version of their previous sound. Instead of garage rock as the base for the surfy jams, this track offered up a pop base for those surf rock guitars to move around in. It’s a downright jam; Ivan Howard’s vocals warble and soar, backed with Kelly Crisp’s arcing “ooh’s,” and the jangly guitars to make it a beach tune to throw on your latest mix.
However, when listening to the rest of this album, it’s hard to find this continual current, or even a continual current of enticing tunes. I find myself being pulled back to the music once every third track or so, getting interested in a track, only for the band to switch it up for the next song. There’s something be said about creating a collection of songs that are different but somehow work together in some fashion, but the tracks sprawl out far in different directions. That being said, I still really enjoyed “Looking For,” where you have the beach vibe returning in the guitar parts as well as the fading “ahhs.” On this song we also encounter Crisp’s small presence on this album via the form of her backing vocals. Here, some of the enticement of infectious pop tunes that The Rosebuds started to reinvent on their past album.
While there are some nice tracks on Sand + Silence, I really am missing some vital cohesiveness that would make this album go from good to grand. The beginning of the album feels a bit lost and muddy, and while the ending starts to pick up on that subtle surf vibe that “Blue Eyes” sparked, it’s hard not to skip over the first few numbers, after “In My Teeth” to get to the goods. Perhaps this is a record that requires some extra time for a deeper undercurrent to arise. See for yourself.
We’re just a few short weeks away from the release of the new album from The Rosebuds, and another single has made it’s way into the world. Ivan takes the lead on this track, and I’ll be the first to say that this is one of my favorite songs from the group, period. There’s a pronounced energy to it, which highlights the band’s exuberance. There’s also a few moments when the band pulls back just for a second; those moments get me every time. Sand + Silence will be released by the good people at Western Vinyl on August 5th; it’s shaping up to be one of those records that wins everyone over, so don’t be left out.
Download: The Rosebuds – Blue Eyes [MP3]
There’s always been something incredibly special about the music of Rosebuds. No matter when I throw a track on, be it in a mix or just on random shuffle, there’s always an immediate change in emotion. It’s a welcome change, even if it only enhances current states of happiness; it just feel good to listen to this band. News just broke that they’ll be releasing a brand new album, and even more exciting is that they’ve signed on to release the record with the much revered, local label, Western Vinyl. This LP is titled Sand + Silence, and it will be released on August 5th; the first single is streaming below.
Download: The Rosebuds – In My Teeth [Mp3]
