The Great Albatross – The Roots EP

So many bands struggle to leave a mark even after a industry-standard full-length debut.  Listeners leave scratching their head, eager to move on to their next fixation rather than embracing and revisiting what just passed them by.  But when a band gets “it,” sometimes all you need is a song or two to jump completely on board.  Such is the case with The Great Albatross’ debut EP, The Roots.  Four songs is all it takes for Scottish singer/songwriter A. Wesley Chung and his revolving door of musicians to capture the calm, moving essence of a sensitive acoustic studio performance.

Before the band launches into their core sound, The Roots kicks off with the scene setting instrumental, “The Egg That Hatched.”  The track’s mellow serenity and pulsing flutters bring to mind a wide-eyed, Disney-esque doe sipping dew drops in an everglade.  I’ve got to admit, I was ready to poke fun at the album for sounding so overdramatic, but the three core songs that follow easily convinced me to sidestep this folly.

Chung’s subdued vocals channel the calm confidence of Death Cab For Cutie and The Weakerthans with the folky, earthy edge of Matt Pond PA.  The lengthy title track’s steady acoustic strumming strolls along like a lost soul searching for answers on a forested trail.  Each word shoulders a worldly burden, landing like a sliver of sunlight penetrating an overarching canopy of leaves, immersing the shadowy ground below with hope and light.  The song centralizes around the analogy of a tree’s growth, from burrowing roots to skyward branches, mirroring life’s many ups and downs.  With little more than a few chords and Chung’s soft serenade, listeners will instantly understand what The Great Albatross sets to out accomplish.

After such a confident opener, Chung skips along jovially with “Righteous Man,” and struts artfully to the finish on “Man Of Dust.”  Speaking in verses, Chung capitalizes on singing line-by-line passages with a breezy country twang.  His collection of “ooos,” “aahs” and intermittent humming make for a particularly soothing listen that should calm the nerves of even the most uptight listener.  Meanwhile, “Man Of Dust” takes a nod from contemporary Morning Phase-era Beck by sweeping along with mellow bridges composed of low-key strings and subtle chiming percussion.  The resultant ambient waves echo of the instrumental opener, but this time around with a satisfying sense of closure.

The Great Albatross is both artful and appealing (my wife even went as far as to describe it as the love child of The Shins and seminal cult flick ‘Garden State’).   Where I was ready to harp on such a grandiose first track (it still might be a bit much for some), Chung’s mission for The Roots couldn’t be clearer.  He has laid a formidable foundation that will wet the appetite of newcomers in anticipation of what comes next.  Fingers crossed for a debut full length that balances all these complimenting subtleties.