Carry On

        Owl Paws, the band that has captivated the hearts and minds of the San Francisco Folk/Indie scene, continues their enigmatic growth with the release of their newest album. A six song EP full of upbeat indie-folk musings detailing the intricacies of life and love, Carry On showcases the development of the band from a purely acoustic based movement, as seen on their self titled debut EP, to the finely tuned troupe heard on this record. From the ethereal atmospheric layers of “Hoot” to the eerie downward movement that is “The Seed,” Owl Paws demonstrates their improvement as a band and the scope of their song writing abilities. 

         The long time standby for the band entitled “Singing Strong,” is a sobering consortium of airy guitars and vocal melodies meeting in a solemn bliss. Featured at the end of Carry On, “Singing Strong” is an old classic reworked for a new audience. Singer/songwriter Derek Schultz’s booming yet tame vocals expand across the track with seamless execution as a calming guitar intro begins the track, soon accented by the light touches of an acoustic guitar. As Schultz coons and pores out his soul about the woes of searching for love, the beautiful and calming touches of Brooke Dabalos can be heard rising above him. While soft and endearing, they do seem to be a tad overdone. A slide guitar precisely cuts into the tune at the halfway mark, slicing its way through the airy sonic layers of the band as the acoustic guitar carries the song along. The drums make their entry into the song a tad too late with an awkward snare roll that almost eliminates the warmth of the song. An upbeat bouncy outro accompanied by a light piano proves to be a solid finish to the song. However, nostalgia for the acoustic version of old burns deep. 

        The single of the album “Sunrise” rises above the rest and with its bubble gum guitar lines, bright vocal melodies and delicate chord changes. Transitioning from the downtrodden minor verses to the infectiously upbeat major choruses with simplistic ease, Owl Paws demonstrates their innate song writing abilities perfectly on this track. “But if the sun won’t rise/the body can’t die again” hum Schultz and Dabalos over the thumping bass lines of bassist Tim Vickers, while a soothing violin massages the surface of the sonic landscape. Bound to be on stuck in your head on those bright sunny days, “Sunrise” and its strong pop structuring deserves to be at the top of any playlist. On top of this the driving velocity of “The Field” pumps up the listener, as it beats down on you like the friendly rays of the sun on a hot summer day. “The Seed” however does quite the opposite, as the dripping piano of Deballos and trickling guitar lines of guitarist/vocalist Colin Hayes brings to mind those introverted rainy days of winter. While the musicianship of the song proves to be impressive, the song is erratic and it is not until the halfway mark that a steady structure can be heard. The band breaks out into a depressing downward spiral, filled with cavernous harmonies and cooing ohs, breaking down the emotional integrity of any listener. A very dark piece from a naturally bright band. 

This natural feel is sadly brought down, through no fault of the band, by the mechanized production of the drums. Despite this, the clarity in the record brings its potential to the forefront. A stepping stone from their folky debut EP, Carry On, shows a vast improvement in the bands dynamics and song writing ability. Potential revealed and medium's expanded, it is obvious that Owl Paws has much to prepare for in the future. To be released in late August by Urban Scandal Records, it calls for the prospective ears of the masses and the critical ears of the obsessive. 

Rating: 3.6/5

Rin Tin Tiger

 Many may credit the harmonica as being an outdated instrument in modern music, lying in the musical graveyard between the lap guitar and the oboe. However, San Francisco’s Rin Tin Tiger has triumphantly resurrected the ol’ pocket piano for their 2011 self titled release and the results are nothing short of sublime. Recorded live at The Thrasher Warehouse with additional vocal overdubs provided by Kyle Lesley and mastered by Aaron Hellam (At Our Hells, Troubled Coast) at Castle Ultimate this folk rock EP is chock full of delicate guitar work and harmonious vocals beautifully meshed and intertwined through great musicianship. 

The winding cry of a lonely harmonica kicks off the album in style as it’s wake up call alerts the rest of the instruments and following suit, they form a joyous melodious march in “Ghost Door.” As the song picks up one begins to grasp the alt-folk stylings of Rin Tin Tiger, a semi-conventional mix between Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan and Neutral Milk Hotel, garnished with marvelous song writing and retrospective lyrics. The down home guitar work and vocals tinged with a slight drawl are sure to make any fan of folk-rock, modern or otherwise, tap their toes.

Musically Rin Tin Tiger represents the purity of a midsummers day and the emptiness of a cold winters night, minor and major and up and down are all given out on this album. Peeling away at their musical onion reveals themes of heartbreak, yearning and loss. The insidious tale of an empty soul searching for excitement and dalliance unravels in the mid-tempo floater “Spooky Spider.” As the guitar transitions from a cheerful Zeppelinesque finger plucking melody; backed by the simple thwack of the snare and haunting angelic vocals, to a melancholic mix of rolling drums, scrambled samples and agonizing vocals, the listener can hear and feel this listless lovers passion and want. A simple beat slowly builds up to an extended sequence of “Woahs” and concludes with guitar work borrowed from Mr. Page himself.

The previous songs eclectic variances represents Rin Tin Tiger’s self titled as a full. From the upbeat, dynamically charged “Greedy Traveler” to the morose “Sweetest Fruit” Rin Tin Tiger is like that cheese and cracker platter so desired at your company’s Christmas party, so many choices and you just want them all. This choice is made exceptionally easier for you as each song is just a savory as the last. While some songs may drag on slightly too long, their is enough action and change occurring to keep a listeners interest peaking for the whole 22 minutes of this semi-traditional indie folk-rock album.

Rating: 3.4/5

Owl Paws

   The youthful lamb within the flock, curled up and afraid, waiting to be found. In a dark scene filled with the unrelenting sounds of screeching guitars and maniacal yells, this is Owl Paws. Their pristine twangy guitars laid over rich acoustic progressions, steady backbeats, and angelic vocal harmonies are the warm hug waiting for you after the show by said maniac. Their folk indie musings bring to mind great acoustic acts such as City and Colour, Bright Eyes, early Spill Canvas and Neutral Milk Hotel. With their new self titled release, Owl Paws chips away at a local scene sculpted by toughness to reveal the soft and warm underbelly.

While Owl Paws stick with the more traditional rock instruments throughout the album, sparse helloes of less traditional instruments weave in and out, appearing at precise moments as if their number had just been called in the waiting room. Xylophone’s tip toe on top of steel strings in “Party Johnson”, horns keep the melancholy party going in the outro of “Reluctant” and violins drop tears in the ballad “Eyes Of The Prey.” What’s even better is they rock the upright bass, a little used instrument outside of certain genres, generally not this one. 

Themes of love, life meaning and the hardships of being a musician in an increasingly relentless world conduct the beautiful symphony of melodies heard on the album. Love is a multi dimensional thing and Singer/songwriter Derek Schultz covers almost all bases; fear, heartbreak, late nights and the unspoken feelings we all encounter as we make eye contact with that special someone. In “Sleepless and Hollow” Schultz desperately moans “Both hands on my sides/the chalk lines are still white/I’m the kind of liar you want to listen to/I’ll never be the one to break the bad news,” showing his warm heartedness that breaks through on many of the tracks. 

Schultz and lead guitarist/back up vocalist Colin Hayes match vocal harmonies to a key and sound much like a fusion of a clearer higher pitched Conner Oberst and a weaker Dallas Green. Where Hayes really shines is on his shimmering lead progressions, more specifically the beginning of “Vultures” which invites the listener into a poppy dance number that embeds itself in the listeners mind, returning to you as you conduct your day. Backed by the steady movement of drummer Tyler Akers dancing around his cymbals like a bobble head on the top of your cars dashboard and bassist Tim Vickers revving the songs engine, “Vultures” draws listeners from their chair and onto the dance floor.  Akers and Vickers provide a strong rhythm section, steadily swaying throughout the album providing nothing too flashy, but constant, creating excellent dynamics. 

Recorded at Schultz’s home, The Complex SF and mixed by Sam Pura of Panda Studios the quality of the album comes out well for a semi DIY recording. My only complaint is the drums sound a bit flat, possibly to accompany the fat, low tones of the upright bass, but nevertheless could have been raised a bit. A more varied song structure wouldn’t hurt either, the soothing, swaying sounds heard on the album are great but a step outside of these borders would really be saying something for the band. Other than these minor flaws Owl Paws delivers a very solid debut EP, leaving listeners entranced and craving more.

Rating: 3.7/5