Weekly Music Thirst: The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow

by Kyle on March 4, 2011 in music, Weekly Music Thirst

The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow

There’s been a lot of commotion about this band in the indie-folk scene and rightfully so. When I heard the early release of the title track I dug the song but wasn’t convinced the record would be great. After listening to the entire record I can safely say the title track didn’t capture much of the melodic creativity the rest of the record has to offer and that’s really the magic here. The melody and harmony choices made in songs like I’ve Got This Friend and To Whom It May Concern among others are what make this record great.

You aren’t going to hear complex guitar riffs, or rhythms here. All the instrumentation is straight ahead and quite simple, which I think gives a clear runway for the vocals to shine through. Not only are the vocals beautiful but they are quite stirring, you can hear and sense the conviction in their voices and that’s special.

This entire month the full record is $5.00 on Amazon. Cut out 1 Starbucks trip and get this record!