Eastmountainsouth. Now there's a mouthful. Where on Earth does a band come up with such an unwieldy name?

Well, to be accurate, Eastmountainsouth isn't really a band. They're a duo, comprised of Kat Maslich, a classically trained singer who grew up in Virginia, and Peter Adams, a more contemporary-style vocalist and talented multi-instrumentalist from Alabama. Take into consideration that both musicians shared a common interest in music that had its roots in the Appalachian Mountains, and the name, however awkward, starts to make sense.

Interestingly, Kat and Peter didn't meet each other on the East Coast, or in the Deep South. They crossed paths a few times while pursuing independent careers in the unlikely location of Los Angeles, California. Once they became aware of their common musical tastes and the similarity of their songwriting, merging into a duo was pretty much a no-brainer. And as much as the duo's music may reflect their more rural upbringing, their music doesn't sound exactly what you'd expect from a guy and a gal who just picked up some folksy instruments and started playing. There's a fair amount of programming and overall glossiness that permeates their work. I guess you could label their debut album, also titled Eastmountainsouth, as "L.A. folk".

Now as much as I'd like to think I'm clever for coining the name of a new genre, it's not like this has never been done before. As a matter of fact, if you were to take a random survey of some of the most visible acoustic or folk-based artists on the market today, you'd find that quite a few of them employed studio tricks to give them a certain pop sheen. Modern radio doesn't tend to be too kind to artists who just put themselves out there with the naked accompaniment of a lone acoustic guitar or piano. Often they feel like they've got to remix these artists' songs with modern beats or strings or something to make them more "palatable" to the masses. Of course, this practice probably drives most folk enthusiasts up the wall, but I can't always say that it's a bad thing to hear acoustic music with modern percussion and slicker production. It just depends on whether the production is there because the artist and/or producer feels like it has to be there to give the song a shot at radio airplay, or whether it's there to add a certain ambiance that the song seems to call for. In the case of Eastmountainsouth, the production and occasional overproduction seems to be more a result of the second goal than the first one.

Despite being local to L.A. and having played quite a few venues in this area, I must admit I've never heard EMS on any of our radio stations. Not that I listen to the radio terribly often, but you'd think I'd have caught the name at some point. Instead, I was turned on to the group by a passing mention on a music-related message board, and with nothing other than their name and the mention that their debut disc was "truly a soothing, peaceful folk/pop album", my curiosity got the best of me. Before too long, I had read up on the group, decided that they sounded intriguing, and the next thing I knew, I was awash in their rich melodies and captivating lyrics. Sure, there were times when I felt that the percussion was intrusive, or that there were the number of instruments in the mix was betraying the intended simplicity of a song. But in spite of that, it proved to be the perfect album for unwinding at the end of a difficult day. Occupying the musical space in my brain between Over the Rhine, Nickel Creek, Out of the Grey, and the softer side of Chasing Furies, this is one of those rare find albums that will be sure to get a lot of airtime on my computer and car stereo over the next few months.

Hard Times
'Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave
'Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore...
If the lyrics and melody to this opening tune sound like you could have heard them a hundred years ago, then well, that's because you could have. It's a traditional Appalachian song penned by 19th century troubadour Stephen Foster. Kat and Peter use this song as an introspective introduction to their musical style, singing nearly every word in perfect unison while somewhat out-of-place percussion and gentle acoustic picking keep time. It's a song of hope amidst turmoil, and it sounds to me like it's aged well, since it sounds great as a prelude to the duo's original material. Their cries of "Hard times, come again no more" seem to echo the downtrodden souls of years gone by, and one gets the feeling that this is setting the stage for the duo to share some of their personal hardships in the songs ahead.

Winter
I never meant to swallow you
You never were my savior
Maybe just my lover
Maybe nothing more...
While there are only two truly upbeat numbers on this album, I'd have to say that they're both well-placed. The first of these shows up as the second track, generously sprinkling acoustic guitar, banjo, and bouzouki over a light, galloping drum beat. Kat takes the lead here, as she does on most of this album's songs, though Peter's more subdued harmonizing can still be heard backing up her strong, mid-range vocals - she's neither too high and chirpy nor too low and gritty. The song seems to be an apology to an old lover, someone she is learning to live without. She's telling him that she wishes she hadn't been so clingy - apparently this cost her the relationship. She seems wiser now and able to go it alone, despite being trapped in the midst of a desolate winter and wondering in her weaker moments if he still thinks of her.

Ghost
And I thought I heard your haunting sigh
Like your love for me, you said it will never die...
This ethereal track is typical of Eastmountainsouth's slower numbers - sparsely populated and slightly melancholy in nature, with plenty of room for the lyrics to breathe. A simple acoustic picking pattern ascends and descends in 3/4 time throughout the song, pausing briefly in the middle for a watery piano interlude. Warm organ tones offset the otherwise lonely mood, giving the song a close resemblance to some of Norah Jones's newer material. The premise here is quite simple - Kat is haunted by her old lover, unable to fully let him go. It sounds simple on paper, but it's really quite a lovely song, in an understated way.

Interlude
A short lead-in to the next track features the sound of a few fiddles drawing out a slow melody, as if getting warmed up for the evening's hoedown. Nice touch.

You Dance
Let me carry you away
Let me wake you every morning
Let me wander every day beside you...
The other upbeat track on the album also happens to be my favorite. Picking up perfectly as "Interlude" trails off, it takes on a bit of a world-music vibe with what sounds like a didgeridoo keeping time. As the song unfolds, strains of piano and drum programming begin to creep in - I think the production layers are justifiable here, because the song is meant to be upbeat and lively. Peter gets his first lead on this one, and while I think Kat is lovely and all, for me it's Peter's voice that steals the show whenever he's out on his own. His voice has this sort of husky, shy-boy quality to it that fits his songs like a glove. Here he's simply singing words of devotion to someone he considers to be very special, telling her that "You dance, in my head, in my heart, in my hands", and assuring her that she belongs there. The song becomes more and more of a celebration as it builds, even featuring an electric guitar solo at one point. Kat does a wonderful job of echoing Peter's words, and the song lives up to its title by being very joyous and danceable. It's a shame that, despite being released as a single, I haven't heard this song at all on local radio stations... I think it would kill them to play anything remotely "country" sounding.

So Are You to Me
As the music at the banquet
As the wine before the meal...
This simple piano ballad sung by Kat has barely enough time to introduce itself before it politely steps out of the way. It's two verses of simple metaphors about what a loved one means to her, plus a lovely fiddle solo. Again, there's a definite sense of tradition lurking behind these lyrics - though I think this one is an EMS original.

Show Me the River
I come to you through fire and snow
Over high rolling hills, and the valleys below
With all that I've suffered, I'm still on this road
And if I hold you again, will never let go...
An interesting thing about folk music is that it can very effortlessly and effectively take on spiritual themes, perhaps more so than any other non-classical genre (except Gospel, obviously). Here, Peter plays the role of a weary traveler, perhaps even a soldier, longing to find his way home to his family. The theme is very sacrificial, as if he knows that his time away was for a good cause, but still he longs to slip away from all that and "fly away home". Lines like that, a mention of a "thief in the night", and the overall theme of a river that points him in the direction of home are what seem to me to suggest a more spiritual metaphor - something I'd be certain I was just making up if not for the track following this one.

Rain Come Down
Seek on, oh seeker
Come go to glory with me
And you shall wear a starry crown
Come join the band of angels...
This is one of those songs where you can just feel the clouds rolling in to surround you as you listen to it. Ethereal piano is at the forefront once again, with a frothy electronic beat shimmering in the background. Lyrically it's one of the band's most simplistic - basically they took a traditional spiritual and added a brief refrain to it. The lyrics seem to want to recast Jesus as a cowboy, "ridin' around with a rainbow 'round His shoulders". It's a strange analogy, and yet Kat offers up their invitation to "join the band of angels" with complete sincerity. It's a welcome surprise from an act that I've heard absolutely no buzz about in Christian circles - funny how you can get away with that sort of stuff in mainstream folk music, whereas country and pop artists usually have to hide their cute little Gospel songs at the end of their albums. For Eastmountainsouth, Christian spirituality seems to be an inextricable thread in their lyrical tapestry. (Which is kind of funny, considering Kat's former day job in an adult video store, as mentioned in her bio. You gotta pay the bills somehow, I guess.)

Still Running
For you meant only love and love
And I felt only fear and pain
So once in Israel, love came
And we were all afraid...
A wise man named Bono (whose quotes I like to pimp out as frequently as possible) once said that the greatest music was written either by those running towards God, or those running away from God. This song, one of the slowest on the album, seems to be an attempt at describing exactly that, borrowing from the text of author Annie Dillard in the process. Over gentle strokes of electric guitar and piano, Kat sings of "Running from the knowledge from which there's no refuge". She's afraid of someone who only wants to love her - likely God, given the surrounding context. It's a vulnerable moment encased in a song which might be a little too sparse for its own good - at this point we're entrenched in a series of ballads played in 3/4 time, and only one semi-upbeat tune to go.

All the Stars
All the madness was never familiar
And their affection was much too peculiar
To sustain you, to protect you
To ever save you from the pain they never knew...
Speaking of ballads played in 3/4 time, here's yet another one - one which may not stand out at first because of its similarity to "Show Me the River", but that over time proves to be a sleeper hit of sorts (at least for me, it does). Something about the full instrumentation and the insistent, descending guitar line just reaches out and snags my attention every time. Lyrically, this is one of Peter's more enigmatic moments, as he sings to a person who was "destined for greatness" but whom no one seems to appreciate. Perhaps it's one of those self-referential songs about being a performing musician and having the fear of being misunderstood. The chorus states that "All the stars that fill the sky, they burn out before our eyes", so perhaps this is a reference to how fleeting celebrity can be. All I know is that when I hear this song, I'm transported into a dark forest far from civilization, where I can look up and see more stars that the Los Angeles sky would ever allow me too, all twinkling and very much alive. I love songs that do things like that to me.

Father
And I'm of his flesh and bone, so similar and estranged
And I was just a child when you went away...
Now here's a song where I think that the programming helps to add to the ambience instead of detracting from the rootsy feel of the song. Definitely one of the moodier numbers on the album, this one finds Kat singing about a man she never really knew, who turns out to be her father. The piano and drum beat take on more of a tense tone here, and a few acoustic elements break in later to add to the soundscape. It's a short song, somewhat minimal on lyrics, but what Kat has to say here culminates in a chilling question - "I am one of two - am I like you?"

Too Soon
She smiled and we were safe
She cried, the cords gave way...
This song is one of few moments where the guitar and piano are accompanied by more organic-sounding drums. allowing for more of a pure folk sound. Chances are this was a demo that the duo decided to leave untouched, and it generally works in the song's favor. The song is a mournful tale describing the premature loss of innocence - or at least that's my take on it. Because of how slowly the lyrics are enunciated and how "normal" the beat is compared to other songs where the percussion is more intricate, this song can drag a bit (it's the longest one on the record), but the addition of a weepy steel guitar gives the song a definite country feel, much like a lot of the material that Over the Rhine came out with at around the same time.

The Ballad of Young Alban and Amandy
The campfires were kindled, each warrior was there
And Amandy was bound, her white bosom bare...
It wouldn't surprise me if this song was also based on a traditional folk song, though I can't find any evidence to suggest that the duo didn't write it themselves. It's a classic tale of a damsel in distress that takes us to another place and time with its rich tapestry of organ, electric guitar, hammered dulcimer, and banjo, driven along by a steady, almost machine-like drum beat. Once again singing in unison with each other, the duo describes the perils of a young girl named Amandy, who is being held captive by a group of warriors, until Alban, who is apparently their leader, comes riding to her rescue, telling his men that if they want to kill her, they'll have to get through him first. Then they ride off into the sunset together. Awww, how romantic. I love the Celtic-inspired instrumental interludes on this one. The only weird thing about it is how it abruptly ends with the sound of a bird fluttering off into the distance.

Mark's Song
May you know you're loved, may you shine above
On the mountain where you were born...
Another slow, country-style song appears here, once again bringing the steel and acoustic guitars to the forefront. Kat seems to be offering up a eulogy for a friend who never seemed to find peace while he was still alive, wishing him an eternity of joy and rest "in your Savior's arms". Yep, it's another Gospel song, and making it personal helps to make the subject matter believable. This might be one of few moments on the album where drums don't intrude at all, and at this point it's welcome, even though less patient listeners will have noticed a severe drop in tempo that has lasted throughout more than half the album.

On Your Way
So let his heart surround you, and let his arms protect you
And hold you every morning the way that I could never do...
The final song on the album is actually one of the more pop-friendly numbers that the duo has come up with - it relies mostly on gentle percussion and a wash of keyboards to create a reflective mood. Returning to the theme of lost love, Peter sings to an old girlfriend in a very apologetic tone, much like how Kat sang to her old lover in "Winter". The song is actually very touching - he's recounting his decision to send her on her way, knowing that she wasn't happy. He knows now that she's found a new guy and she's happy, and his wish is simply that the guy is able to love her in all the ways that he knows he was incapable of. It's a sad thought to end on, and yet there's a sense that this outcome feels right, that this difficult loss is actually going to be good for both of them in the long run.

Despite the presence of a few songs that are similar enough to one another to not totally stand out, which drags the album down a tad, I'm finding that I can't get enough of this record. All of Peter's songs strike me as especially memorable, and I hope to hear him sing lead a little more if the duo decides to record a second album in the next few years. Not that I mind Kat - her voice is lovely too - and when the two blend together, it gives them a very unique and full sound. At the end of the day, that's what Eastmountainsouth is really about, more so than their overall folk influence - it's about the voices and the words, and the stories that they're telling. This is probably why I don't mind the genre-bending - it's an effective cross between the storytelling mode of traditional folk and country, and the more universal and emotional subtleties of pop music. Maybe they could benefit from trying on a sound that's a little rougher around the edges next time, and I'd certainly be interested to see if they could come up with a few more up-tempo tunes, but for now, they've given the world a wonderfully relaxing album that has unfortunately gone unnoticed by most of us.

ALBUM WORTH:
Hard Times $1.50
Winter $1.50
Ghost $1
Interlude $.50
You Dance $2
So Are You to Me $1.50
Show Me the River $1
Rain Come Down $1.50
Still Running $.50
All the Stars $2
Father $1
Too Soon $.50
The Ballad of Young Alban and Amandy $1.50
Mark's Song $1
On Your Way $2
TOTAL: $19

CONCLUSION: While it's not 100% consistent, and it gets a bit slow, there's so much good stuff to pick from that the album ends up being worth its full price.

Group Members:
Kat Maslich: Vocals, guitar
Peter Adams: Vocals, guitar, piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer, shruti box, banjo, etc.

Website: http://www.eastmountainsouth.com

Great Music to Play While: Driving through the mountains on a lazy afternoon. (Assuming you're awake and alert, of course.)

Recommended: Yes