Review: Hey Rosetta! - Seeds
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 7:36AM 
By Todd Harrington
Listening to a band for the first time can be as scary as it can be fun. Then, factor in a "review" of the record and it gets even more fun. The good news for Canadian based six piece band Hey Rosetta! is they hit the wow (and repeat) button right out of the gate.
On the bands 11 song, third full length release they blend the instruments you expect in a rock band but then toss in piano, strings and other percussive instruments and that all results in a very pleasant and rewarding listen.
Lead vocalist Tim Baker soars over the music at times, and at others is so hushed you want to give him a hug and tell him it is going to be okay. The urgency is there more often than not and drummer Phil Maloney must have a vendetta out on his drum kit the way he hits the kit.
Baker and Maloney can't do it alone though. Tracks like "Yer Spring" which starts quiet but throws you for a loop when an odd time signature grabs your ears and before you know it violinist Kinley Dowling and cellist Romesh Thavanathan make the song so full you'd swear there are 15 members in the band.
Never to be outdone bassist Josh Ward (who really shines on the opening track "Seeds") and lead guitarist Adam Hogan offer the right amount of flash, but a constant amount of "just right" playing. A "guitar solo" is hardly ever heard in the common rock sense. Over the eleven tracks the first real time the guitar seemed to stand out is when Hogan got a little crunchy with it on "Parson Brown" but that could also be due to the fact the song is a very laid back, string filled track from the start, only bursting when Hogan comes in.
Trust me when the lack of a guitar solo is okay to mention. The band is just "so full" you lean in at times to hear the plucking of the cello strings ("New Sum") to the odd tempo, almost "math rock" feel of the track. The band swells at the right time. The band is cautious to let the songs grow at the right time. Only the track "Welcome" seems to bust out of the gate, it mellows some, but finishes with the same urgency.
As stated at the start of this review I knew nothing about the band going in to this, but their live reviews
are glowing and if they can bring tracks from this album to the stage I can only imagine. See you in the
front row.
Reader Comments (2)
Was deliriously happen to get this band on my SxSW showcase lineup. One of the best acts on the continent right now. Dead right, Todd.
that should be ...
Was deliriously happy to get this band on my SxSW showcase lineup. One of the best acts on the continent right now. Dead right, Todd.