posted by Loren on April 9, 2011
Stornoway keeps off the beaten path, sustaining estrangement rather than typicality. What separates them is not their sound. In fact, they are quite similar to newfound glories Mumford & Sons, also from Britain, in that they reach out toward a more bluegrass and folk rhythm. Yet the band thinks differently, as their Myspace includes neither of these genres, describing their sound as Indie and Acousmatic. Either way, their music is ineffable, transcending labels, varying substantially throughout the entire album. Each song is distinguishable and individual, but together an elegant collective. Versatility of sound can be quite dangerous for many artists, proving to be a distraction with the lack of continuity. Stornoway successfully lives in this gray area.
The elements of Stornoway are there, the popularity will shortly follow suit. They carry much more than commercial music tends to produce. Their bluegrass/indie operation is equipped with somber, almost chorus-like lyrics, that sing poetic narratives of love found, love lost, and love found again. Reading the words on their site, the songs could be mistaken for archaic but rather fluid poetry that contains contemporary elements. Released last May, their first album, The Beachcomber’s Windowsill, is a well-bound book on love (unrequited and pursuing interests) that brings poetry to motion, as you will see with the two tracks included below.
Stornoway – I Saw You Blink (Downloaded 655 times)
Stornoway – Boats and Trains (Downloaded 502 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Beautiful Lyrics • Bluegrass • Folk • Male vocal
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