The Attic Stairs - Small Things

The Attic Stairs are making their presence known with their all new studio release titled Small Things. The Haverford, PA based group is starting to become a known commodity in and around the Philadelphia area with their own unique blend of indie rock with a strong, sharp focus that immediately makes you feel relaxed and right at home.

The disc starts off with "You're Always Around", a comforting, pleasant sounding track featuring a thunderous vocal refrain sung in unison by lead singer Dan Wriggins and flutist Evangeline Krajewski that immediately puts things in perspective for the rest of the album going forward. "Andy the Bluebird" features many of the same musical characteristics that the prior song exhibited, only on a much grander scale this time around with more variant instrumentation giving the song a bit of an edge than the first track. My favorite track off the disc is "Fire on the Lawn" a beautiful, stunning melodic delight featuring a wonderful acoustic guitar melody and a smooth transition with the dual vocal precision weaving its way in and out of this musical delight that you'll want to put on repeat by the time it's over. "How to Get Happy (When You're Sad)" is a downtempo number designed to put you in a positive frame of mind if you're feeling down for whatever reason, with an organic melodic mindset that will be sure to get you out of your rut and looking ahead to brighter days ahead.

The second half of the album takes shape with "No Sleep" a dazzling, well put together number featuring a well bodied acoustic guitar arrangement and a terrific vocal performance turned in that sees the album sticking to its guns and continuing to forge ahead. "Mary Allen" is a thumping, bombastic number featuring high energy folk based guitars and a strong vocal outlook that ushers in a new kind of folk that we haven't heard before and will leave you with your mouth open in awe by the time the song is all over. We get ready to close out the album with "He Cuts Out and We All Come In", a track that evokes some musical characteristics set forth by Mumford & Sons with some intricate flute arrangements giving the song the ability to stand out among all the rest featured here. The disc comes to an end on "Ambulance Man", a moody, downtempo number that takes in elements of songs we've heard at various points throughout the album, and condenses it in a format that we can easily comprehend to see what we've heard so far and how it makes it feel as a whole. It's great to hear a refreshing change in music with the new folk movement taking shape that is being spearheaded by groups like Mumford & Sons and Fleet Foxes to name a few, and this album really puts it in perspective for us to see the sheer and raw talent that is omnipresent in the great state of Pennsylvania and how this band is leading the charge in this new folk movement that is only going to get bigger as the days and years trickle by.

Overall, a great album from The Attic Stairs, who have made an indelible first impression with a strong and cohesive set of tunes that exemplifies the band's musical prowess and their innate ability to combine folk elements into an easily descriptive format that we can easily comprehend and put into terms that we can easily identify with. Definitely recommended!

                                                                                                                               Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. You're Always Around
2. Andy the Bluebird
3. Small Things
4. Fire on the Lawn
5. How to Get Happy (When You're Sad)
6. Stony Ground
7. No Sleep
8. Mary Allen
9. New York & North
10. He Cuts Out and We All Come In
11. Ambulance Man