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The Armoires — Octoberland
(Bandcamp Big Stir Records BSR-0101/0102, 2024, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-02-05

Octoberland Cover art

Octoberland is my first encounter with The Armoires, and it’s quite a pleasant surprise. This California band has been around for a while, and this is their fourth full-length release, showing a band with a well-honed sound and an excellent knack for catchy melodies. Their music blends elements of classic folk-rock with power pop and eclectic indie rock into a most appealing sound. At times I’m reminded of The Decemberists, but groups like First Aid Kit, Let’s Active, and REM also come to mind. Rex Broome (guitar, vocals) and Christina Bulbenko (keyboards, vocals) are the songwriters, and they’ve said that this album is the first time they sat down and wrote all the songs together. As work progressed, themes emerged, and the songs ended up with many internal cross-references. Their craft doesn’t shy away from clever silliness, even when tackling serious subjects. As they put it, “this is sort of like The B-52s doing Leonard Cohen songs.” The album kicks off with “We Absolutely Mean It,” which is a kind of manifesto or theme song: “We are The Armoires / Anything could be inside / This is your invitation / Come join us for the ride,” and also “Recommended if you like / Sunshine pop, college rock and psych – and we mean it.” Broome and Bulbenko trade off vocals, and both of them are great singers, not in a flashy sense, but in a straightforward expressive sense. The rest of the band fills out the arrangements masterfully: Larysa Bulbenko (viola, violin, vocals), Clifford Ulrich (bass, vocals), and John M. Borack (drums). With four band members singing, the vocals are lush and tasty, so full of great moments I don’t know where to start. The strings are also used to good effect, by turns referencing classical music or folk fiddling. But don’t take my gushing for granted — just go over to the Bandcamp page and see for yourself how good Octoberland is.


Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): The Armoires

More info
http://bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com/album/octoberland

 

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