eMusic Review 0
The Young Scamels features the core players from the groundbreaking post-rock band called Rachel's. Like that Louisville ensemble, the Young Scamels combine classical strings with the rhythms and basslines of rock; this project, a musical score to a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, also features a couple of guest vocalists: Amber Estes (from Liberation Prophecy and Invaders) and Kyle Crabtree of the band Shipping News.
Shakespeare included several songs in The Tempest, and the Young Scamels' version of "Full Fathom Five," featuring Estes's voice, is a quiet highlight. So is the lovely but unsettled "I Heard A Humming," an instrumental track that blurs the distinction between acoustic and electronic. Taken as a whole, the score is a seriously effective mix of the moody and the lyrical, shot through with unexpected streaks of instrumental color. The first two instrumental tracks stake out the band's sonic territory — lush, bracing, and evocative. And "Tempest" builds to an impressive climax, using bass and drums to provide an almost orchestral heft to the sound. As for the name, well, that's from Shakespeare, too. Caliban says, "I'll get thee young scamels from the rock," and Shakespeare scholars have been debating ever since what a… read more »
