Album Review: The Gertrudes keep listeners on their toes with Till the Morning Shows Her Face to Me

The Gertrudes serve up a heaping dish of playfulness and surprises in their sophomore LP, Till the Morning Shows Her Face to Me. Someone forgot to tell the Kingston 12-piece that you can't be this weird and still call yourselves a folk band. Otherwise, where would we put the nice earnest songwriters with their guitars and banjos?

The above was said in jest; indeed, the self-deemed "folkestra" finds a comfortable groove among themselves within the album. The album kicks off with cacophonous single "Derby Girl," which explodes with yelps and shouts, kicking your ass out of inattention. The 12-piece produces full and rich sounds even on sparser tracks such as "Dreams" and "Six Jars." Most notably however, listeners will find themselves constantly surprised by sudden left turns in musical direction. For example, just as you are settling into the contemplative harmonies of "Good People," distorted guitars and synth effects kick in... and all of a sudden you've found yourself in the midst of a mandolin solo!

A few stunning moments anchor the 45 minutes of musical instrumentation: the Greg Tilson-led "Six Jars" ends with an uplifting surge of instrumentals and the fading sounds of children playing. "Flash Bulbs" reveals a more complex structure than originally suggests, with harmonies--just a smidgen different than your ears expect--piquing listeners' interest. Contrary to that, "Carolina" is an ode full of heart (and accordions), transcending genres like a standard one would find on an old country/soul/blues record.

You can grab Till the Morning Shows Her Face to Me directly from the band on Bandcamp or from iTunes.