A debut album from a Seattle sextet is perfect for those late summer drives at dusk. The sun fades into the horizon while warm shades of yellow, orange and red light up the sky. The Head and the Heart’s self titled clocks in at 9 tracks, spanning 35 minutes. In that time, the harmonies come together, comforting and uplifting with folksy pop arrangements reminiscent of the Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel. In the Sounds Like section on their MySpace page, they list: “melodies, harmonies, shakers, foot stomps, beautiful things, epic things.”
The album begins with a sprightly track, Cats and Dogs with the timbre of Josiah Johnson’s vocals warming up to lead a backing of “ooo-ooo’s” as a kick drum thumps and the rest of the band joins in on the fun. This seamlessly transitions to the next track, Coeur D’Alene where the keyboards and bass line drive the song’s catchy hook. The rest of the album has a rhythm, steady and buoyant and never strains. If anything, the album peaks with Lost In My Mind and glides to a safe landing during the last three tracks, closing with a reverent finale in Heaven Go Easy on Me.
Here they are performing live for KEXP: