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Almost Honest Premiere “Stonecutter”; Seiches and Sirens out March 22

Posted in audiObelisk on February 28th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

almost honest

New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, trio Almost Honest release their sophomore full-length, Seiches and Sirens, through Electric Talon Records on March 22. There’s riffs and shenanigans a-plenty on the 10-track/45-minute album, and from the sharp-edged opening gallop and chug of “Fools Gold Flesh,” they toast elements of heavy rock, progressive metal, and the odd bit of thrash for a blend they call “groovy sexy Viking funk doom rock.” The cumbersome genre designation could be taken for what it is, but it’s also emblematic of the tongue-in-cheek vibe that a lot of Seiches and Sirens — which was produced by Gary Conahan at Dynamo Audio in Lancaster — carries across in songs like “Interstellar Executive” or “Dancing Shaman and the Psychedelic Cactus,” or “Call of the Mothman.” And the self-awareness extends as well to their imprint, Electric Talon Records, as some of their fuzz could easily be traced to a Valley of the Sun influence. These are all catchy, mostly uptempo heavy rockers reminding a bit of some of what Howling Giant or Bloodcow bring to bear in terms of nerd-meets-riffs sensibility in storytelling. Helping distinguish Almost Honest — even their choice of Megadeth songs to name themselves after kind of forces one to ask if they’re serious — from that set are the triad vocals of guitarist Shayne Reed, bassist Seth Jackson and drummer Quinten Spangler, who fluidly split off during verses and effectively make use of trades like that in “Fools Gold Flesh” or “Stonecutter,” where the melodic singing gives way to almost Scissorfight-style narration.

I’m honestly not sure where the “Viking” part comes in, but as ReedJackson and Spangler careen and crash through songs like “Whale Bones” and the penultimate “Wiwadvhv” — for which I’d love to see a lyric sheet — Seiches and Sirens derivesalmost honest seiches and sirens an all-the-more varied identity from its shifts in vocals, and much like New Cumberland itself is situated west of Philadelphia and still a good distance east of Pittsburgh, so too do Almost Honest‘s brand of heavy draw aspects of punk and metal and rock into its fray. “Jenny Greenteeth” is the longest inclusion on the album at 6:43, and it gives over to militaristic snare near the halfway point only to embark on a particularly engaging and plus-sized bounce riff in an instrumental section that in turn ends up back in the chorus with keyboard accompaniment. One could call that a show of craft and structure, but by the time they’re that deep into the tracklisting, Almost Honest have long since demonstrated their mettle in that regard, and whether it’s the early Giraffes-style swagger of “Keystone” or the sheer WTF-ery of “Dancing Shaman and the Psychedelic Cactus,” their gleeful weirdness never comes at the expense of songwriting. You’ll pardon me if I avoid the “some of these songs are goofy as hell but the band is serious” cliché, but in the balance between the two sides, it’s character put to use in making songs and not the other way around.

“Stonecutter,” which you can hear premiering below, emphasizes that well. Bursting to life from an opening gong hit, the track makes good use of its vocal variety, with a melody following the guitar in the chorus and lines spoken both by the title character and the spirit itself he’s speaking to, while holding itself together instrumentally and building momentum toward a faster payoff later. It’s immediately catchy, and so represents Seiches and Sirens well in that regard, and also shows off the personality very much at play throughout the entire record. Good fun.

Almost Honest will be touring weekender-style throughout the Spring after the arrival of Seiches and Sirens on March 22. You’ll find those dates, as well as some comment from the band about “Stonecutter,” beneath the player that follows.

Please enjoy:

Almost Honest on “Stonecutter”:

“The song was inspired by a Japanese folktale about a stonecutter who was tired of living an average life. What is different in our version however is that it features a funky doom-ridden twist on the tale. I love the groovy jams, angry spirits, and a chorus that you can sing along to as you work. They don’t call us a groovy sexy Viking funk doom rock band for nothing.” — Quinten Spangler

“I enjoy the fact that we have all been assigned different characters or roles during the song. Quinten is the mountain spirit, Seth is the narrator, and I am the stonecutter. Doing this makes the song feel alive and it gives it more story. I also like to refer to it as Almost Honest the musical. Hit us up Broadway.” — Shayne Reed

Seiches and Sirens by Almost Honest is officially released on 22nd March 2019 through Electric Talon Records.

Pre-order the album here – https://almosthonestpa.bandcamp.com

Almost Honest live:
Mar 22 JB Lovedraft’s Harrisburg, PA
Mar 23 The Pinch Washington, DC
Mar 30 Black Forge Coffee Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 31 123 Pleasant Street Morgantown, WV
Apr 13 Gold Sounds Bar Brooklyn, NY
Apr 26 Cherry Street Station Wallingford, CT
Apr 27 13th Floor Music Lounge Florence, MA
May 17 Westside Bowl Youngstown, OH
May 18 Rosen Krown Rochester, NY

Almost Honest are:
Shayne Reed – Guitar/Vocals
Seth Jackson – Bass/Vocals
Quinten Spangler – Percussion/Vocals

Almost Honest on Facebook

Almost Honest on Instagram

Almost Honest on Twitter

Almost Honest on Bandcamp

Almost Honest website

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