Customer Reviews

Little Heart's Ease

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It's a travesty how unrecognized Royal City is. The indie-folk-twang-rock quartet out of Toronto has a sound that captures the listener. Whereas "At Rush Hour The Cars" has a shy and reclusive sound, and the bluesy "Alone At the Microphone" mellifluously howls and begs for forgiveness, "Little Heart's Ease" has a different tone. One could not say it's a brighter tone, but the music has a greater deal of momentum and a more complex harmony, departing from its lo-fi, banjo-strumming days. Now taking a more deliberate and composed stance on the music, these twelve tracks capture Royal City's rock identity. These songs blend together deliciously. A truly wonderful album by a band that deserves a greater level of appreciation, and a must-buy for any folk-rock fan.

Recently I took out RC's first album, a relatively unknown title called, "At Rush Hour the Cars" (Three Gut Records), and realized anew what a dang good album it is. This country-indie-rock band, originally from Toronto, received lots of praise for their second album, a down-in-the-dirt-with-arms-toward-heaven rock piece called "Alone at the Microphone." With this album, "Little Heart's Ease" -- folks are left with a beautiful little piece of work on their hands, and no one knows what to do with it. Is it because the songs are generally about healing, softer questions, and coming home? Or that "Little Hearts' Ease" doesn't howl like a wolf and careen down the highway the way it did on "Alone..."? Or that the half-dazed, half-dropped lyricism of "At Rush Hour..." (which I've realized I love)is exchanged for a tighter, spared down set of songs? I don't know, but I have to say, I think "Little Heart's Ease" is really quite good. The guitar work on "Jerusalem" makes the song rock..."Count the Days" is an incredible song..."Enemy" is a slower stunner..."O Beauty" is barely there and strange. And yes, OK, I may miss the yowls of "Alone...", and the slow drone of "At Rush Hour...", but I happily sip my coffee and read my New Yorker to the tight depth and brevity of "Little Heart's Ease."

I just came upon this CD -- it was a recommendation from my friend in NYC, who apparently used to see them play quite a lot in NYC -- where are you now Royal City? He talks of quite a devoted NYC crowd, even though they're Canadian, and folks getting up and chanting the words to songs. I haven't heard "Alone at the Microphone", which my friend also recommended, but "Little Heart's Ease" is one of the strangest records I've ever heard. Its not that this album is perfect, but there are some really wonderful musical moments. I'm thinking of the second track, "Jerusalem," which is as close to a perfect rock song as I've heard since Black Sabbath, Fairies Wear Boots. Count the Days is also pretty incredible -- I mean, I'm not sure if he's singing about Jesus or what, but this song runs from almost a lullaby into an exploding rock song. I also like Bring My Father a Gift, Cabbage Rolls, and Ain't That the Way. Enemy and O Beauty are OK. All in all these songs seem important for this band, and they definitely hold their own together or one by one.

After the beautifully bleak alt-country of 'Alone At The Microphone' comes follow-up 'Little Heart's Ease'. The lyrics here are far more Christian than the debut - in fact, I didn't know they were Christian on the first album, but it seems pretty obvious here. The imagery is totally different here to the much blacker, secular words of the first album (titles like 'Dank Is The Air Of Death and Loathing' and 'Blood And Faeces' are replaced with 'O Beauty' and 'Take Me Down To Yonder River'). 'Bring My Father A Gift' is a simple but effective stoic opener, 'She Will Come' evokes NYC and, surprisingly, Lou Reed, before transforming into a clapping, country-ish singalong, and 'Enemy' is a beautiful ballad, and 'Jerusalem' is the rockiest thing here. Yet the album seems, as it is lyrically, also musically safer than the first album, never quite descending into the haunting bluesiness of something like ' Bad Luck' and occasionally drifting into the MOR. Nevertheless, a worthy follow-up.

Royal City started out as a Toronto band with hometown favor and the luxury of evolving at their own pace. At that point they were a fledgling, indie band, with a standard indie sound. A few licks borrowed from Will Oldham here, some Neil Young there. With "Alone at the Microphone" something happened -- they stepped out, took risks, really became a band, and forged a good album. The critics swooned, citing the strength of Riches' agonized song-writing and lovely melodies. Still, it was a bit of a sloppy album. With "Little Heart's Ease," you hear the sound of a band coming full circle -- seasoned, mature, with a little less to prove. From the waltzing "Cabbage Rolls", to the rocker, "Jerusalem," to the nuanced bliss of "O Beauty," this is an incredible album that grows and builds the more it is listened to. It will not get the accolades of "Alone..." because Riches sounds more resolute, quieter, and more polished. But be not fooled -- this is even-keeled excellence, and the chance to hear a band at the peak of its creative powers.

The first half didn't impress me much, but I love the beautiful second half.