The Cave Singers Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
With a warmer style than the name Cave Singers might suggest, Welcome Joy is a simple and easygoing indie folk romp that picks up right where the trio's debut, Invitation Songs, left off. Welcome Joy was recorded again with Black Mountain's Colin Stewart in Vancouver, and his pals Amber Webber (of Black Mountain and Lightning Dust) and Ashley Webber (also of Lightning Dust) assisted Derek Fudesco, Marty Lund, and Pete Quirk on the record. It's an Americana-rooted soundtrack for the change of the seasons, with two-chord structures and organic, free-spirited instrumentation. John Prine and Jeff Tweedy are touchstones here, but the most overt influence is Fleetwood Mac. Not only do the songs resemble the melodies found on Rumours, but coincidentally, Quirk's voice sounds a lot like a cross between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. "I Don't Mind" is a carefree jamboree, with kick drum, tambourine, and harmonica laying the foundation for a fingerpicked electric guitar. Meanwhile, "VV" is a pleasant backwoods birdwatching ditty, and "Leap" propels from a stripped-down guitar and vocal line into a full-fledged rollicking romp. A few songs take a tougher turn -- "At the Cut" incorporates some gritty distortion and "Shrine" is a dark, brooding bongo number, where Quirk's weathered voice shines, but the Cave Singers' best moments are when they tone back the brooding and stick to carefree major-chord jams. Most of the album stays true to a light flavor, and Welcome Joy is a nice, comfortable listen, right up there with Invitation Songs. ~ Jason Lymangrover, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A quick glance at the pedigrees of the Cave Singers' members wouldn't suggest that they had any folky leanings. Pete Quirk sang with the post-punk-inspired Hint Hint, Marty Lund played with the similarly angular Cobra High, and Derek Fudesco came from the mighty Pretty Girls Make Graves -- all layered, intense, and above all, electric bands. So, it comes as a very pleasant surprise that the trio strips down and unplugs as convincingly as they do on Invitation Songs. The Cave Singers' music is largely acoustic and clearly inspired by the timeless sounds of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly (the baleful "New Monuments" is set "in the pines"), but -- possibly because the band is so steeped in indie rock -- it never feels hidebound to re-creating traditional sounds. Quirk's reedy, nasally voice sounds far more comfortable in the Cave Singers' rustic settings than it did in Hint Hint, and his worn-in vocals are a big part of what makes Invitation Songs' straddling of indie and classic American music so effortless. He and the rest of the band sound just as comfortable on the sweetly rousing acoustic rock of "Elephant Clouds" as they do on "Called," which, with its whip-cracking percussion, slow, insistent tempo, and aching melody, sounds directly descended from a decades, if not centuries, old work song. The Cave Singers are equally comfortable with washboards -- which turn "Dancing on Our Graves" into a darkly joyful jamboree -- and keyboards, which are paired with gentle but driven acoustic picking on "Helen." However, the band's most affecting moments are the simplest and subtlest: "Royal Lawns" and "Seeds of Night" use vivid imagery ("bright flowers behind your billboards") and pastoral melodies to create quiet, unassuming yet undeniable moments of life-affirming beauty. Invitation Songs is a welcome, and welcoming, debut. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
