Umbrellas
Illuminare
The Militia Group

For those who have ever wondered what your favourite local indie-rock band would’ve sounded like had they either not disbanded or not joined a pseudo-indie label which overproduces every single record, Umbrellas have achieved this sound well with Illuminare. I will admittedly say that initially I was not terribly impressed with the vocals.  In time however I have more or less gotten past the similarities he shares with Cher (her newer work) and Gloria Estefan.  His sound is still considerably more effeminate than either of those ladies at any point in their careers. Not something terribly atypical in the genre, but between his airy vocals and thoughtful lyrics, this chap sounds very honest and sincere.

To be certain, Umbrellas is an indie-rock band, because they don’t fit in anywhere else. But listening to this does not make me feel like I’ve been locked inside of an indie-rock time capsule. Their music breaks through and extends beyond certain typical genre related palisades. While the overall tone of the music is serious and ballad-like it does not limit itself to sounding a certain way. These are jiving tunes or at the very least head-bob and shoulder-sway worthy whilst listening to “Again and Again” driving in your car.

After having listened to about half of the record I noticed that the sound was very similar to old Death Cab for Cutie material. Now, if your favorite DCFC album is Plans, just forget it because it’s nothing like that. It’s a unique production, some might call it “poor”, but I think I would call it natural. I prefer it over an entirely computer generated record. The album does have quite a few electronic elements to it with the use of keyboards, but it’s done tactfully… for the most part. In a mere sentence or two, this record makes me feel whole and satisfied, and I do not mean musically. It seems to bring together a great deal of human emotion, swirls it around, and places it in a canteen to drink with the one you love on a stroll through the woods in the midst of the night.

Website
http://www.umbrellasmusic.com