i am Love
Intro EP
(self-released)

i am Love presents a “progressive acoustic” approach to their music. The band (Joshua Christopher on vocals, guitars and chorded zither, Will Whitmire on bass and banjo, and Kris Jackson on percussion, keys and vocals) seems to be mining an Arcade Fire mixed with Sonic Youth meets Tom Waits roasted over at Mischief Brew’s house vibe.

Opening with “Pillar of Salt,” a low bass mover with zither slices and high unintelligible vocals, then moving into the faster, jangly, tom tom-led “Swiftness.” Again, vocalist Christopher is playing things very warble mouth-closed in the verses and barely managing to talk in the chorus…I’m not sure if this is supposed to play to the band’s ethos or just imprint a style.

I like the pop bop of another guitar flangy tune, “Pants on Fire.” I dare say the mumbled vocals work a little better here, reminding me of Tom Waits in spots. “Can I” is a sly, single-note organ plead (at least in the verses) and the first time we get some real effective emotion from Christopher’s voice. The whole concoction is held together by Whitmire’s bass and some weird distortion.

“Ace of Cups” struts with big power chords and good Western rock feel. This one features a solid, in-your-face vocal, at least in verses. In the chorus, the band gets mired down again in their dark, low audio vibe, which seems to hinder more than help them, I feel.

The last song of these 11 is a banjo/cello/ harmony vocal called “Finest Hour,” a pretty perfect song to end with actually. It has great vocals and a singable chorus.

You can listen to the album here.