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It is perhaps December Friend’s ability to work well outside what most people would perceive as a pop sound yet create songs that are more infectious and immediate than anything that those chart and mainstream scenes have thrown our way in decades, that is my favorite aspect of the band. Although they are a band that does so many things so well, picking a favorite element is a difficult thing to do. It’s best to enjoy them in all their glory. So I will…and indeed, do.
Take the opener, “Just Beginning,” and its pulsing groove; I defy anyone not to throw some sort of shape or at least sway to its charms, even before the vocals kick in. It is a song that proves the equation (indie + rock) / americana + (x) = one glorious sound… where x is equal to a unique quality which is only found when Joel Leviton, John Wlaysewski, and Jeff Victor come together….and, to push the equation idea to breaking point, maybe we should call them J cubed.
In a Warmer Way is the second album from this creative trio, and if topping the sonic delights of their debut, Splendor Never Dies always felt that it would be a task-and-a-half, it is a feat they have pulled off. “Sugar and the Cosmic Ride” sees the band head into some psychedelic realms, feeling at times a lot like a long lost, late-era Beatles, and more specifically a Paul McCartney, tune and “Another Word For Yesterday” is bathed in a shimmering, lush and cinematic Americana light.
Things round off with the recent single, “No Fadeouts,” a song rising in gentle sonic increments from unadorned acoustica to a majestic, wide-screen beauty, and a perfect showcase for Joel Leviton’s poetic mastery.
The only thing better than watching a band lay out an unattainable benchmark with one album is watching them deliver a follow-up album that goes beyond what was thought possible with the next. I get the feeling that it is something that we are going to have to get used to with “December Friend.” Not that anyone is complaining.
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