(WHITE IRIS RECORDS; 2014)
I never trust music reviewers who sound like they know every single similar artist when they try to describe a new band to the reader, and it would be literally impossible for any music scribe to hear even a majority of the stuff that comes out these days; there’s just too much of it. An honest, well-intentioned reviewer, which yours truly would like to be considered, can at best hope to give you a general idea of a new group’s sound, and then offer up a few similar artists as loose references. What you need to know about Incan Abraham, and their debut album TOLERANCE (well named in these intolerant times) is that it’s melodic, stately rock bent on achieving a casual grandeur, rock that is friendly, communal and very inviting, with high male vocals and pleasing harmonies. You want reference points? Well, there is a Norwegian artist named Magnet that comes to mind but I’m guessing you don’t know that artist or the singer, Evan Johanssen, who powers it. So let’s go with a touch of Coldplay, a few dollops of Beach House and a vague smidge of Sting, arranged in such a way that it could go prog on you if the group had a ton of money, but they don’t yet, so they stop just in time to be melodically solid and easily accessible. Comparisons aside, the main thing about Incan Abraham is that they sound familiar, something that reminds you of other stuff you’ve heard, but in a good, reassuring way.
Giuliano Pizzulo, Teddy Cafaro and Spencer Mandel have evidently been friends since grade school, and you can practically hear that kind of tight-knit vibe in the close harmonies and unity of purpose here. Pizzulo’s vocals soar, typically against lush, synth-generated backdrops that never go on too long, and are always melodically winning.”Midwife,” “Concorde” and “Forgiveness” have that easy accessibility that’s elusive for so many bands, hitting the right buttons not just for a presumed mass rock audience but for jaded critics that look for something oh so different but will normally surrender to great vocals and high production values. On “Tram,” Pizzulo has the confidence in his range that allows him to hit high notes perfectly, and the resulting emotional clarity is very pleasant indeed. “Desert Hold,” a brief truffle of a tune, is sparsely arranged, with just a slightly off-center vocal, acoustic guitar, and sweet harmonies to give it a bit of company…very becoming. But “Peers” is a real highlight, a warm, lovely bit of songcraft in which the vocal harmonies wrap you in a soft blanket of comfort, outdoing Beach House by a degree or two. When the band sings “Oh, oh, oh” a few times at the end, you might be inclined to do the same at the sweet sound emanating from your player. And the jaunty keyboard figure of “Spring House”, with another breezy arrangement in tow, should seduce the majority of just about any genre audience out there save hip hop or metal. It’s easy listening for uneasy times. In short, there are two ways you can approach this kind of record: the stuffy, “oh look at me I’m a critic” way, which will have you concluding that this is a listenable, but not very original debut. Or, the way most listeners SHOULD respond to something: does it sound good? Are the vocals strong? Do the tunes invite you in and incite some emotion here and there? On that level, Incan Abraham have definitely got it going on; they are attentive, emotionally present musicians who aim to pull you right in for 45 minutes, and then let you go, feeling a good measure better. In my book, that’s a solid musical goal, and TOLERANCE is likely an understated word for what you’ll achieve by experiencing this lovely record start to finish.