Desert Noises
Mountain Sea
Northplatte Records
Street: 10.18.11
Desert Noises = Joshua James + Fleet Foxes + Band of Horses
If I had to pick one local album to share with a friend from out of state, Mountain Sea would probably be it. To me, it represents the real quality folk-inspired rock n’roll that comes from Utah. Its sound is big enough to fill wide-open spaces and its feeling is intimate enough for a good pair of headphones. The vocals throughout are strong and are reminiscent of Fleet Foxes in style and harmony. Both the vocals and instruments turn out a lot of energy that is hard to not get excited about. It also helps that many of the songs are so catchy. I had “Oak Tree” and “Bible Study” stuck in my head for weeks after listening for the first time. Most songs are very beat driven with great drumwork, but the band also knows how to slow it down and does it quite nicely on “Smoke Breathing Monsters” and “Tell Me You Love Me.” Mountain Sea is quite a great album from the home-grown, Utah Valley boys of Desert Noises.