The Storys – Town Beyond The Trees (Special Edition)
Angel Air
http://www.angelair.co.uk/
Rating: A
Taking a page out of America’s light, West coast 70’s rock
scene The Story’s who hail from South Wales in England combine
sublime, lush acoustics with soaring vocal harmonies and wrap
them around glorious melodies that are guaranteed to stick with
you long after the music has finished. Town Beyond The Trees
their album from 2008 has just been given a second lease on life
courtesy of Angel Air Records in the U.K.
After one listen to the achingly bittersweet melodies displayed
on “Long Hard Road”, “Alone”, “Nobody Loves You” and the title
track, it’s difficult to comprehend why these superbly crafted
compositions didn’t garner them some major acclaim on both sides
of the Atlantic, or maybe it did and I just missed it. Anyway
here’s your chance to discover a truly magical album one more
time or If you’re like me, for the first very first time. The
true strength of these six talented musicians lies firmly in
their seemingly effortless ability to write songs that are
riddled with hooks and laden with velvety smooth, layered
vocals. The sound which is already full and rich throughout,
remarkably blossoms even further on the songs “Feeling
Something” , “Trouble Deep” and “It’s All We Really Need” which
are all augmented by a real string section. As if you need a
bonus after making your way through this gem of an album, the
re-issue includes an eight track bonus disc of live material
which includes four songs from Town Beyond The Trees. If
for some reason you doubted their ability to recreate these
glorious melodies in a live setting you can put that notion
right to bed after you hear what they’re capable of onstage.
I can find absolutely no fault with this stunning debut album.
If you love music that is replete with gorgeous vocal harmonies,
multi-layered textures, that places the emphasis squarely on the
often neglected art of songwriting, then look no further because
The Storys have exactly what you need, and then some.
-Ryan Sparks
