City of Festivals

They Say...

Review by Tim Sendra, All Music Guide

It is going to be interesting to watch the emo kids grow up in the years to come, to see what directions they head and what happens to all that youthful angst. Already Saves the Day and Hey Mercedes have made decent adult pop/rock albums with grown-up soul and intelligence. Decibully trumps them both with its debut record, City of Festivals. Decibully has ties to emo through the Promise Ring, post-rock through Pele, and noise pop through Camden. Despite this, they don't really sound like they belong anywhere. Maybe they need their own style. How about post-emo chamber pop with some country overtones? They have a rich, fully orchestrated sound that is warm and cozy. It wraps around you like a blanket, William Seidel's intimate vocals hovering nearby like an old friend. Every song is packed with instruments; vintage synths, harmonica, electric piano, lap steel, horns, banjo, cello, and all kinds of guitars are expertly woven into the mix. Vocal harmonies are also all over the record, culminating in "Uncle Sam's Yard," which features a large vocal choir and ends up sounding like a down-home Polyphonic Spree. To go along with the fantastic sound of the record, the group came up with a batch of songs to match. "On the Way to Your Hotel," "Holy Angel Choir, " "We Belong on Rooftops," and the desolate and moving "Spiderbites" are songs that have power and emotional depth but don't rock in any conventional sense. The music is literate and heartfelt, just like emo but without the cringe-inducing sappiness and over-emoting, and if a band on Domino or Too Pure or Matador had songs this strong it might be in the process of being hailed as the next big thing. Hopefully, emo-phobes will give a Polyvinyl release the chance it deserves, because City of Festivals is a really strong record. Between this record and the Saturday Looks Good to Me and Mates of State albums, Polyvinyl is on its way to becoming one of the best U.S. indie labels.