Yonder Mountain String Band

Filed under folk, Yonder Mountain String Band’s self-titled CD is release No. 4 and marks a major shift in the band’s sound. The bluegrass roots still chime, but added to the group’s acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass and banjo is a set of drums and the loving production given by legendary producer Tom Rothrock (Beck, James Blunt, Elliott Smith). The band is at its best when succinctly used amp reverberation via electric guitars and pianos give a haunting moog-like resonation. Layered atop this are the band’s precise vocal harmonies and poignant lyrics. It all comes together on the track “Wind’s on Fire,” a blend of mysticism and American folk that chills “ … Look at the size of your skin / Where it ends and it begins / Keep on tearing your world apart / Look at the size of your soul / … Keep on tearing your soul apart / Look at the size of the world … ”