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Mid-Atlantic rockers My Friend Autumn began recording sessions for their first full length album back in 2004. Four years and a series of major life changes later, they have re-emerged this month with a collection of tracks exhibiting an eclectic mix of emotions and sounds. Summer Music for Winter People appropriately sums up the moodiness of these melodies, peppered with just the right amount of positive, upbeat moments to keep everything in balance. Jim Greif, Jon Heller, Chris Kudela, and Matt Cummins have put together a first album that tests the waters of their abilities and styles.
The songs alternate between modern garage rock and early '90s shoegazing/Brit pop. This combination is apparent in the first two tracks on the album. "Wishing Well," while probably not the strongest choice to kick of the set, demonstrates their raw textured sound, while the subsequent "1994 (UK Surf)" seems to spawn directly out of that year. It is one of the more interesting and memorable tracks, using electronic background sounds with a riff and vocals that bring to mind bands from that era, Nada Surf and popular British rockers Oasis.
While bouncing back and forth between these two genres, it is in the more experimental moments where the band finds its strength. While songs like "St. Matthew's Court" and "Gravel In My Palm" fall short by sounding more like a jam band and blending in with the norm, two others pick up the slack with originality. "Queen of the Lost Causes" has a simple yet slick acoustic backbeat that draws you in and builds up to an energetic finish, and "Campfire Hymn," the second to last song on the disc, is where My Friend Autumn truly shine. Tight instrumentation and folky lyrics present something that is both radio-friendly and unique.
"One In the Same" plays around with some strange synth and backwards sounding background speech, and has one of the more addictive choruses on the album. And "Elegiac" and "Bergamot" exemplify an overall theme of the album: brooding optimism.
Image courtesy My Friend Autumn.
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