Homespun: Dear Vincent

The local quartet Dear Vincent writes tightly constructed folk-rock songs that spin out with the precision and delicacy of a music box's lullaby, albeit with darker overtones. On the band's debut EP, So Long Winter, the guitar takes a back seat to a host of strings, horns and keyboards. "Epitaph" kicks off the disc with a little touch of Lifted-era Bright Eyes, with Bryan Steel's slightly bedraggled vocals giving way to light chamber-pop finery; trumpets, violin and glockenspiel flesh out the slow-burning song. The combination of well-orchestrated folk instruments (accordion, banjo) and low-key indie rock arrangements calls to mind Sea Wolf and the early work of the Decemberists, especially on the waltz-tempo "The Sailor's Song."

Location Info

Map

Off Broadway

3509 Lemp Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63118

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: St. Louis - South City

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Details

Dear Vincent CD Release
8 p.m. Friday, March 12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.
21-plus: $10 in advance, $12 day of show.
Under 21: $13 in advance, $15 day of show.
314-773-3363.

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More About

• Bryan Steel
• The Decemberists
• Grizzly Bear (Band)
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media
• Indie Rock and Indie Pop

Dear Vincent shows a little more muscle toward the second half of this six-song EP. Featuring a trebly electric piano and sharp swipes of electric guitar, "Scarecrow" is Dear Vincent's best amalgamation of fine-tuned orch-pop and rock & roll verve. Keyboardist Ariadne Holladay joins Steel on the chorus, giving his sometimes-dour vocals a little lift. (The soaring choir on the track accomplishes this feat as well.) The sinister "Crooked Jack" lopes along on cabaret piano chords, using both harpsichord tones and a low brass section to the up the creepiness factor.

There's not a bum note on So Long Winter, and while that speaks to the band's chops and quest for perfection, it also leaves the EP feeling a bit too manicured and airless. Exercises in pop formalism often end up this way — just ask Grizzly Bear. There's no shortage of talent or vision on the record, but here's hoping that future Dear Vincent records sound more like a band at play than an arranger at work.

Want your CD to be considered for a review in this space? Send music c/o Riverfront Times, Attn: Homespun, 6358 Delmar Boulevard, Suite 200, St. Louis, Missouri, 63130. E-mail music@riverfronttimes.com for more information.