-
Chuck Zak
[+ Show ]
This second disc from the NYC-via-Southern California Voyces is a quietly impressive collection of g...This second disc from the NYC-via-Southern California Voyces is a quietly impressive collection of graceful, pastoral pop that sounds emotionally deeper with each listen and more expertly crafted as well.
Twenty-year old photos of songwriter Brian Wurschum alongside his suburban metalhead buddies attest to his vintage, as does the hilariously comprehensive list of 70s and 80s AOR heroes he cites as influences elsewhere. And though most of the material on Kissing Like It's Love seems fairly straightforward, there is the sense that someone avidly tending an unconditional, decades-long pop-song love affair is behind the whole thing. Wurschum’s songwriting sounds like it’s been whittled down over the course of time, with the thrill of those old favorites still fresh in his mind, their various excesses purged.
The mixture of innocence, romance and sharp emotion that makes the Pernice Brothers a perennial boon to heartsick pop fans (who’re still hopeful enough to keep seeking out crushing melodies) is at work on beautiful stuff like “Hair Up High” and the sublime “Call it Home,” but songs as strong as these eclipse any stylistic similarities. This is mature, well rounded stuff and although words like ‘maturity’ and ‘restraint’ may sound like dowdy qualities for a musician, in the hands of someone with something to say and the patience to find the right words and hooks to say it with, those qualities are just more muscles to flex.
The band finds an interesting vein of bombast to mine in “The Canyon Ladies,” conjuring a dramatic melodic arc out of a simple set of chords and stirring dynamics; it sounds like an unfairly leftover brick from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I’m still not sure how I feel about the minimal acoustic funk-strut of “You’re In Charge of Driving the Narcotics Trolley, and You’re Doing an Excellent Job,” but it’s very possible I like it a whole lot, and not only because the title helps me fill my minimum-word quota for this review.
Wurschum’s perfectly complimentary production, his heartfelt lyrics and unique, elfin voice seal the deal, especially on stuff like the warm, chummy kinda-Country of “Top of My Lungs” and the delirious title song. All of Kissing Like It's Love, apart from the ugly cover shot of two colliding faces, is loveable - it’s exceptional in fact. And all this on a musical diet rich in the Eagles, Journey and Scorpions, too. It’s a little bit of second hand redemption for those dinosaurs, I guess, and a whole lotta new interest for a young-at-heart band from New York called the Voyces.
-
Lee Zimmerman
[+ Show ]
So what should we expect from a band called The Voyces? Angelic harmonies? Celestial choirs? A wareh...So what should we expect from a band called The Voyces? Angelic harmonies? Celestial choirs? A warehouse worth of pretense? Actually, none of the above. Fortunately, in this case, the results trump any actual expectation. What we end up getting is one beautiful record, with at least nine out of ten tracks that rank as genuine keepers. With their third album, The Voyces have crafted a beguiling array of supple soft rock melodies that flow as if in a gentle cascade, creating an aura that’s unfailingly easy on the ears. There’s a sense that these Voyces are indeed eternal, especially when it comes to lending that fresh, ebullient glow. The title track starts the progression off with a cheery tone, leading into a mellow succession of wistful ruminations. “Top of My Lungs,” “The Canyon Ladies,” “Humming” and “Hair Up High” evoke the gentle gaze of America - the group that is, not our conflict-ridden country - and carry a similar subdued caress. Charming and disarming, Kissing Like It’s Love delivers instant infatuation.
-
Elizabeth Gumport
[+ Show ]
In their new single “Kissing Like It’s Love,” the New York-based Voyces offer a similarly innocent t...In their new single “Kissing Like It’s Love,” the New York-based Voyces offer a similarly innocent take on the dynamics of kissing, a breezy taxonomy that paints the practice as all sultry and desultory, fit for warm summer nights and roofs and “city’s lights.” Unlike their fuzzy, folky 2003 album The Angels of Fun, the Voyces’s recent work is light and snappy; their songs are as simple and sugary as they say kissing is. Kissing is, after all, only for kissing’s sake: “true love’s too rough,” they chant, “so kiss me like it’s love.” That which is like something cannot be that thing; nobody here’s in love, but nobody seems to mind, either. Love is best, they hint, when it’s feigned, when it’s all “Coppertone and firewood” and kisses.
-
Jason McNeil
[+ Show ]
The Voyces want you to think that they’ve been influenced by Simon & Garfunkel. This is true on the ...The Voyces want you to think that they’ve been influenced by Simon & Garfunkel. This is true on the opening title track, a very precious pop gem that would fit perfectly on an album by the Connells. Lead singer Brian Wurschum has that sweet, earnest tone in his voice that often sells the song with ease. The Voyces want you think they’ve also have been influenced by the Beatles. Yes, this too is true on “Hair Up High”, a slow but gorgeous nugget. But they are at their best when combining these influences, as in the case of the infectious “You’re in Charge of Driving the Narcotics Trolley, and You’re Doing an Excellent Job”. California pop is another important part of the band, particularly on “Lovers in the Sky”, which falls somewhere between solo Tom Petty and Matthew Sweet. Even throwaway tracks like “Please Wash Away” are fabulous, despite clocking just over two minutes. The only stretch on the record is “The Canyon Ladies”, but most will even cozy up to this winding track. A very sweet, soft and fragile album in the best way possible.
-
Jason MacNeil
[+ Show ]
The Voyces' Brian Wurschum doesn't have the most powerful voice in pop music, but the way he uses it...The Voyces' Brian Wurschum doesn't have the most powerful voice in pop music, but the way he uses it is indeed quite appealing. With the musician often registering in the higher range, the singer seems to nail a sweet, sugar-coated and cavity-inducing pop gem like the title track perfectly. Cheerful, bouncy and infectious, the tune sets Kissing Like It's Love off on the right course, bringing to mind equally adept power pop maestros like Jeremy Morris and more obscure bands like Cool Blue Halo. Sweet is an adjective best describing most of the album, especially the slower but pretty "Hair Up High" that has gorgeous harmonies from Jude Kastle. The oddly titled "You're in Charge of Driving the Narcotics Trolley, And You're Doing an Excellent Job" is a quirky but pleasing bit of pop. Breezy California pop would be another apt description of the songs, especially "Call It Home," which seems to conjure up images of Bread and Cat Stevens. Fans of Roger McGuinn and Tom Petty circa "Wildflowers" would seek comfort and joy in "Humming" which definitely causes the listener to hum along without much coaxing. The album closes with two lengthier pieces, including "The Canyon Ladies" which starts off with a spacy feel before Wurschum brings it back into his niche. The same can be said of the lullaby-like "Where the Little Girls Still Throw Roses."
-
Berkeley Press
[+ Show ]
Sometimes it’s nice not to have to interpret your music. Just let it come, and be a part of the day....Sometimes it’s nice not to have to interpret your music. Just let it come, and be a part of the day. Voyces is that kind of band. Light, almost folk-y rock. Check out Kissing Like It’s Love, the obvious single off of “Get Him, Eat Him.” If the 1970s starlight-and-moonbeam vocals don’t pull you in, make sure you stick around until the incredibly intricate, beautiful guitar break, which features one of the best gentle solos I’ve heard in a long while. If you are a big fan of Rhino’s “Hit Sounds of the 70s,” then you won’t want to miss this album. Songs like Top of My Lungs would clearly have been huge hits back then, both because of the musical style and the refrain (“I’ll be all right again, baby, soon as I get back home . . .”) Check it out on a rainy Sunday.
For fans of: Belle & Sebastian, Magic Numbers.
P.S. Thanks to Amy for turning me on to this band. Her review is better than mine, too, so go read it!
-
Will Harris
[+ Show ]
The Voyces began as the brainchild of singer / songwriter Brian Wurschum, releasing their debut albu...The Voyces began as the brainchild of singer / songwriter Brian Wurschum, releasing their debut album, The Angels of Fun, in 2003; they scored a major coup when one of the record’s songs, “Relate to Me,” was included on the soundtrack to Jack Johnson’s surfin’ doc, Thicker Than Water, and found their profile raised considerably as a result. Since then, the band’s been through a bit of an overhaul in its ranks, but given how the subsequent album – Kissing Like It’s Love – has turned out, who can complain? Although Wurschum remains the album’s sole songwriter, he’s teamed with singer Jude Kastle, and the resulting harmonies are decidedly lovely; imagine Linus of Hollywood’s debut album (Your Favorite Record) with more of a ‘70s folk-pop bent, and you’ll have The Voyces’ sound mostly pegged. Tracks like the title song and “Humming” have a pleasant bounce, but much of the disc is pretty mellow; on the whole, the first two thirds of the record is where the strongest material hangs out (the last two songs are each over five minutes in length and prove too long for their own good), with particular highlights being “Hair Up High,” “Lovers in the Sky,” and “Top of My Lungs.” Given the amount of ink this year that’s been dedicated to the return of acoustic pop purveyors America, there’s really no better time for The Voyces to achieve a significant foothold on the music scene.
-
IFF - Indie Folk Forever
[+ Show ]
Planting Seeds Records are releasing the second album by pop band The Voyces, Kissing Like It's Love...Planting Seeds Records are releasing the second album by pop band The Voyces, Kissing Like It's Love, on May 8th, and if they can get past the ambiguously salivary album cover, the title track should have pop-underground devotees swooning.
Lead Voyce Brian Wurschum sings "You smell like every summer should/my favorite time of year/like Coppertone and firewood/how am I supposed to steer" and you can hear it coming out of top-down convertibles in July, a big summer hit in an alternate universe. The vocals and charmingly lo-fi production are highly reminiscent of early, underappreciated Matthew Sweet (it would fit snugly next to Inside's "Blue Fools" or Earth's "How Cool") and his friends and frequent collaboraters Velvet Crush. Full of familiar and satisfying hooks and changes, this is a fun, guileless pop gem that's hard to get out of your playlist.
-
J. Sin
[+ Show ]
Indie popsters The Voyces don’t seem to mind who, what, or where they entertain so long as they’re e...Indie popsters The Voyces don’t seem to mind who, what, or where they entertain so long as they’re entertaining and bringing joy to folks who happen upon them. It’s that laissez faire attitude that gives them a genuine voice (excuse the obvious pun) and a glowing sense of melody present throughout “Kissing Like It’s Love”. Subversive ‘60’s pop it’s not, but it shares an awful lot with that genre. Pop that’s not so much pop as it is catchy and awesome.
-
Amy
[+ Show ]
Kissing Like It's Love - The Voyces
Sometimes I resent the hell out of this blog. Surprising sunn...Kissing Like It's Love - The Voyces
Sometimes I resent the hell out of this blog. Surprising sunny 77 degree days like this, in particular. And when I'm stuck, when I haven't heard a new song in days that motivates me to muster enthusiasm and generate pretty words on its behalf, the last thing I feel like doing is sitting down to write an obligatory post. On the other hand, I like to maintain posting momentum: The longer I go without writing something, the more detached I get from the whole dilettantish project, the more seriously I consider quitting music blogging altogether. Fortunately, It hasn't come to so dire an event and I'm not going to be forced to feign anything. A couple hours ago while cleaning the kitchen following a flurry of cooking activity yesterday afternoon (somehow I managed to get chocolate brownie batter everywhere), I slipped in The Voyces' Kissing Like It's Love (due May 8), and was pretty much floored by the title track. I might have even dropped the sponge in my hand. It's the catchiest song I've heard so far this year -- a honey-smacked ditty about, ya know, faking it a little (ahem), surrendering to the moment because the moment's what you have, because the sun is grinning yellow and the sky is blue, because for now it's enough. Or in the words of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. And in the style of classic radio pop, with a chorus so effortlessly great, so blithe smiling summer wonderful, the song shouldn't feel shy to share a playlist or mixtape with "Go Your Own Way" or "Sugar Sugar." (And that right there is one of my highest compliments.)
