Seattle Subsonic

Washington Mile’s Simple Hearts Is Bueno

May 21st, 2010

When you roll over to Washington Mile’s MySpace there is quite an abundance of information. I checked it out and there was promises that their music would make you want to do everything from get up and dance to chill out and relax. There was also a list of influences that ranged from Bon Iver to Blind Willie Johnson. So naturally I was expecting quite the variety when listening to this album, and it was totally delivered.

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Their new album, Simple Hearts, starts out with a mellow tone on a short song filled with “oohs” but with a soulful tone then you are plunged into a fast paced dance hall number. And this is basically how the album rolls out slow to fast, no warning just boom. But there seems to be a definite method to this madness, there is a subtle balance of the pace, there will be a stretch of very mellow, chilled out songs, and right when you are winding down into the mood, the album will pick up and you are nice and riled again. It is cool because it was a total surprise, but at the same time this isn’t an album, as a whole, I would specifically think of to influence a certain mood, because of that change. Does that make sense?

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When it comes to the list of influences I could definitely dig it. There were definitely tracks on the album that I got a Bon Iver, soft and isolated feel, and at the same time there were tracks that were definite throw backs to the days of Blind Willie Johnson with a special twang, especially on Have Mercy. I would even be so bold to suggest that I hear a little Bright Eyes similarities, you know, when Conor Oberst went through his country phase.

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So basically I gauged the album like this: I would say this album was pretty country, and I used that blanketed genre term loosely, because I felt a little of everything under that umbrella term. There was a little bluegrass, some folk, a little blues, and some rockabilly. This album was all across the board, if there is one thing that could not be said about this album is that everything “sounds the same.” I really dig that. Some of the tracks weren’t my style but at the same time it was no big deal because the next track would be a whole new sound but still on the same level.

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All in all I would say this album was bueno. I dug it. You should check it out.