The Memory Band – Apron Strings

The Memory Band – Apron Strings / 2006 Dicristina / 12 Tracks / http://www.thememoryband.com / http://www.3hiva.com/dicristina / Reviewed 08 March 2007

The guitar that opens up a song like “I Wish I Wish” is very traditional sounding, with the female vocals that are paired with the guitar giving the act a more complete approacvh. While the music was created in 2006, there is nothing saying that this type of music – and the band that created it, The Memory Band – could not be from an earlier period. The production is the final piece of the puzzle, allowing the instrumentation and vocals to be very tender and almost shaky, imbuing the songs on “Apron Strings” with a certain human quality that is excised from other albums.

The music on “Apron Strings” stands in opposition to practically all other acts that currently have airtime on radio or video; what is present here is something that is sincere, what could only be called “down home”. The instrumentation on tracks like “I Wish I Wish” is simple, rarely going beyond a guitar and strings, but The Memory Band are able to create a track that ebbs and flows with an uncommon variety. While the band has only been around for a few yerars, the solid compositions that are the norm on “Apron Strings” will make fans flock to The Memory Band as soon as they know who they are. The male vocals blend together hints of Paul Newman, Cat Stevens, and even hints of Warren Zevon in a track like “Come Write Me Down”. While that track has a much more contemporary sound to it, The Memory Band still smartly craft songs that are fueled by only the most Spartan of arrangements.

The dual purpose that the vocals have during “Come Write Me Down” (both to convey messages through vocals and to provide another instrument to the track) show that the compositions of The Memory Band are much more intricate and complicated than the outward sound of the track may be. The more hopeful strains of “The Poacher” provides individuals with a blend of Peter, Paul and Mary with hints of the Lemonheads and Simon and Garfunkel. The piece de resistance here has to be the countrified strings on the track, which allow this song to be a delightful oddity, which fans of all stripes can appreciate. Give The Memory Band a spin, as the band has the talent to make an album that could as easily be in 1966 as it was in 2006. “Apron Strings” is yet another solid album by Dicristina.

Top Tracks: Green Grows the Laurel, I Wish I Wish Rating: 6.8/10

[JMcQ]