The Heartsleeves
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The Heartsleeves

Arlington, Massachusetts, United States

Arlington, Massachusetts, United States
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"MicControl Album Review: "Dirt and Water" by The Heartsleeves"

From http://miccontrolblog.com/ June 30, 2009 by Jon

I found these guys on twitter a few days ago, and to be honest, my first opinion of them was that their music was kind of empty. But after giving them more time, I have found that there is more to it than what I originally thought, which was just empty music with wordy lyrics. Actually, I have found that I really seemed to enjoy The Heartsleeves brand of roots/ funk/ neo-soul. Similar to the sound produced when Keller Williams and The String Cheese Incident got together for Breathe, this music is a loose and heavily groove oriented. What really gives this album an enjoyable sound is the roots aspect of the music. There is a laid back feeling on Dirt and Water- the calypso inflused guitar, bouncy, funk bass lines, the backing horn accompaniments, the bright vocals that shine only even brighter when the harmonies are applied to the chorus lines. Understand though, that laid back doesn?t mean slow or boring, in fact there is a definite upbeat excitement that is heard through this music.

As musicians, these guys all seem to fit somewhere in between the lines of good and really good. I wouldn't say they are quite at the level of being excellent musicians- at times there are sloppy rhythms, and the dynamics could use a little work. But there is also the idea of a groove- the tightness, the chemistry and the way they can play of each other. This is where the group seems to shine. The bass seems to be consistently tight with the drums, always finding a way to intricately intertwine in and out of the drum sections. The guitar is competent, never really doing much more than plucking out some chords or playing upstroke style guitar, but this isn?t a bad thing. Actually, I think any more than that would sound a little forced. Many times in roots music, the guitar does play a smaller part in the overall bigger picture of the music. The sax is stellar- this sounds far and above any other instrument used in the group. There is always some interesting line that is being played, the dynamics are always spot on, and the solos are fantastic. And, as mentioned earlier, the vocals are extremely well done. They are bright, strong, and are used in interesting rhythmic ways, which at times almost gives the verses a certain rapped feel, as opposed to a sung feeling. It is this variation that keeps the music feeling fresh throughout the album.

[See the original post]
http://miccontrolblog.com/2009/06/30/miccontrol-album-review-dirt-and-water-by-the-heartsleeves/ - MicControl


Discography

Dirt & Water

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Bio

Born in the glory and pageant of the noble working cities of Boise, Cleveland, Schenectady, Boston and Syracuse, "The Heartsleeves" is the voice of the no frills sincerity of real world American life. We listened to, and grew on the nourishment of Nina Simone, Johnny Cash, Curtis Mayfield, Jackson Five and The Impressions.
The HeartSleeves formed in 2007 when Jared Lucas Nathanson (vocals- Grits) and collaborator drinking buddy Wayne "Rhino" Flower (bass - The Halo Benders, Treepeople, Violent Green ) collided at high velocity with Jared's high school chum Joel "JG" Greenlee (sax), Joshua Lee Loomis (vocals, guitar, keys - The Great Buriers) and Ariel "R E L" Rejman (drums - The Great Buriers, Air and Space Museum) down at the Fenway practice space. Country fell into the funk, soul got some pop and jazz on it and the Chocolate got covered in peanut butter.
After a some gigs and an album (Dirt & Water), Wayne and Joel moved west as part of a bird watching expedition and were lost in a nasty street poet fight. Moving forward, but never forgetting their friends Jared, Joshua and R E L welcomed Ben Margolis (sax - The Peoples Donut) and Robert Gilmore (bass - Air and Space Museum).
If Thomas Hart Benton and Lenny Bruce had a band with Percy Sledge and Orson Welles...... We would open for them... no cost