House Of Murmurs - JL Stiles

I just received the newest release, House Of Murmurs, from JL Stiles. This release is outside of my immediate listening realm so I'll have to give you my best perception of it from an outsiders perspective. All In A Day is a bright, cheery tune with acoustic guitar, light percussion and horns. It has a strong melody and radio hook. Spring Light Of Day is another happy sounding track which has the general feel of the Moody Blues. Doesn't really sound like MB but that is my best comparison. Song Beside My Grave is a pretty cool track just JL's voice again with a light backing. It has a country format but more folk in presentation. Cool track. Frostbite Falls is another interesting track with a solemn sound and ambient soundscape in the background. The Great Natchez Tornado is another track with an interesting melody. The vocal strength on this track is particularly strong as is the arrangement of the backing instrumentation. Movin has a solid vocal duet with Emily Schmidt. This is a pretty straightforward acoustic track but with a bit of call and response as well as a slip in of some marimbas by Stiles. Leaf In The Snow has a bit of a rock beat but with vocals in a very tight range. It has a subtle appeal because of it's unusual construction quality. After The War has a solid folk quality and actually a bit of a sound of the turn of the century with horns and Americana textures. Simple Faith is another song with solid melodic construction which could easily appeal to radio listeners. Afterthought is an introspective track with a nice melody. A little slide work on this track, used in more of an ambient manner is pretty cool. It also has a little Spanish trumpet interlude which creates another world altogether. This is a quiet release but one that has some particularly strong writing and some unexpected turns. I also want to mention that I really like the cover and believe that it really is in keeping with the music. No secret meaning...I just think that it is reflective of the mood. Hope you give it a shot.

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