Review: Yarn Owl - Montaña Y Caballo

If you like your indie rock as majestic as the Cascades, as life-giving as a strong cup of coffee (black) and as lush as the towering pines along Puget Sound - well, you'll want to check out Seattle's Yarn Owl. Montaña Y Caballo, the band's impressive debut, shares soaring bombast (and a band member) with vintage Band of Horses, plus the pastoral earthiness of Fleet Foxes.  Suffice it to say that if you're a fan of either of those bands, you'll find something to like here.

Album opener "Go" starts on the folkier end of that spectrum with a brightly plucked mandolin.  The song finds its climax as call-and-response vocals build to a dramatic peak.  "Seashell Wind Chime" is next, a powerhouse of a song propelled by a steady beat, crashing waves of electric guitar and reverb-drenched vocals - it's been on constant loop for days.

Yarn Owl - Seashell Wind Chime

The album is packed with lush sounds - swaths of guitar, rich multi-part harmonies and towering choruses.  It's a dynamic sound and a rewarding listen that isn't getting old after countless spins, even if a few of the tracks do tend to run together.  There is nothing here that breaks new ground, the band seems fully content to synthesize current trends.  But that isn't necessarily a bad thing - in my mind there's always room for a band that fills a comfortable sonic niche.  As long as the songs are good enough to pull it off, that is - and these are.  If you miss It Still Moves-era MMJ, or find Fleet Foxes a bit too sedate for your tastes, this just could be your favorite new band.