Given and Taken in Ink

Review: The August Arrival, Skyline Goodbyes EP

I'm a little envious of the august arrival.  Not only do they live in Canada (and really, who doesn't want to hail from the same country as the Kids in the Hall gang?), but they still have full-time jobs, families, children, and time on the side to be in a band.  Seriously, just think of the random conversations you could have with strangers:

Stranger: Hey, so, what do you like to do for fun?
You: Oh, you know, the usual.  Since having my son/daughter, he/she really takes up a lot of my time.  Oh, and I'm in a band.

Right?  Right?!  That's the dream, right there.

And, much like Handsome Furs, Mates of State, the Weepies, and Arcade Fire, founding members Sara & Phil MacDonald are married.  Why is this notable?  Because, prior to a gig or recording session, they get to avoid the following conversation:

Husband: Baby I gotta go.
Wife: Oh, come on, stay with me.
Husband: Baby (because all men begin our lines in this conversation with "baby"), the band needs me.
Wife: What about me?  I need you.
Husband: Baby, I'm sorry, I'm already late.
Wife: If you walk out that door...

Yadda yadda.  You can see where this is going.  Not so for the august arrival!  I can't even get my wife to read this blog, and Phil gets to perform alongside his lead singer of a wife.  Jenny, you have been put on notice.

Finally, I envy the august arrival because, like fellow Canadian e. e. cummings*, they have liberated themselves from the Shift key.  That is a paradise about which I can only fantasize.  Alas, I may never reach its lowercase gates.

Anyway, intrepid reader, you have made it this far and are probably wondering, "Greg, what's the deal with this enviable august arrival band?"  But here's the great thing: the Internet, in all its streamy glory, has made it so that my words are meaningless.  You can listen to the august arrival's debut EP, skyline goodbyes, for free on the band's bandcamp page.  Hooray!

For those too lazy, apprehensive, or lacking in speakers, I offer you these words: The august arrival is worth clicking the link above.  EP opener "Sun too will die" broods like an acoustic Warpaint (incidentally, also Canadian**), stripped of the undulating bass or heavy reverb.  The lack of sonic density gives Sara MacDonald's vocals well-deserved space to dominate these six tracks.  There's a bit of a Mazzy Star ("Fade Into You") quality to her voice, particularly on tracks like "Lifting."  Likewise, I remember reading an interview several years ago with Blake Sennett, reflecting on the early days of Rilo Kiley, in which he said something about recognizing that his band needed shift focus onto Jenny Lewis' vocals.  I may have made that up, but there's a hazy memory of something to that effect.  Anyway, the august arrival have already figured out that Sara's voice should be the driving force of the band; her talented bandmates do an excellent job of augmenting her lyrics without getting in the way of her formidable vocal performances.

That being said, some of skyline goodbye's brightest moments feature electric guitar, such as in "My way" and "Through it all."  The latter song simmers over most of its 4 minutes and 45 seconds, slowly building to its climactic conclusion.  As Sara belts out her most powerful performance of the EP, an electric guitar sneaks in, intertwining with the violin to close the album in a grand fashion.  It gives a glimpse of where the band might go in the future, suggesting that big things are in store for the august arrival, as long as they can find time in their busy schedules to get there.

* I know e. e. cummings was not actually Canadian.  It's called poetic license, people, something a poet like e. e. would appreciate.  Yeah, you feel pretty bad for your snarky "Stupid blogger, e. e. cummings wasn't Canadian" thoughts, don't you?
** Also not true.