Pitch Perfect
  • Pitch Perfect
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact

Driven Serious - The Importance of Being Serious

6/24/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Driven Serious

The Importance Of Being Serious
self-released; 2013

3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
Here's a question for you. What do you get if you combine top hats, folk music, and an unbridled energy that could make  a band like  Arcade Fire jealous? If you already familiar with Driven Serious, you would say Driven Serious. If you aren't, you might say The Decemberists. Driven Serious is collaboration of Rob Jones (ringmaster, vocals, guitarist), Tim Packer   (bass/piano), Cathy Geldard (fiddle/piano) and Johnnie Walker (drums). They recently released The Importance of Being Serious, which is a 12-song album that is engaging, unusually inventive and contains a surplus of energy you don’t usually find in folk music. 

Let’s be clear here. The music mixes genres like folk, rock, and even hints of country to make something uniquely their own. One thing for certain with this band is that if you dig string music you should enjoy them. Violins, fiddles and acoustic guitars permeate the album which create warm inviting tones that might make you dance a little jig if you're not careful. Jones has a unique voice and I imagine that listeners will have an ambivalent relationship with it. At first I found his voice to have qualities I normally don't enjoy but with repeated listens I felt like his voice started to fit the song pretty well indeed. Kind of reminded of what it was like when I first listened to Joanna Newsome.

The album starts with "Living For The Day" which contains acoustic guitar, upright bass, and fiddle - almost sounding a bit eastern before the bongos enter and all of a sudden it starts to feel a bit like rusted root (that’s not meant to be a bad thing). It has a lot of energy for an acoustic song and reminded me of the feeling you get when you listen to bluegrass. “Venus Star” is the longest song and one of the highlights on the album. The song was very heartfelt and the tones of the strings further accentuated the sincerity in Jones’ voice. On the other end of the spectrum “World of Fear” is the shortest song and has a more standard rock vibe as they forgo the acoustic guitars and replace them with electric. “Dharma Streams” creates space for the strings to breath and if you close your eyes you can imagine these guys feeling unencumbered while playing in a room together. The album closes with “Buddha in the Emptiness II” which contains some nice harmonies and piano playing; a solid way to close the album. The Importance of Being Serious is melting pot of genres and influences that create a concoction of music that I would recommend,
Become a Fan
official website
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

       Critique/insight

    We are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent  music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.

    Tweets by pitchperfect158
    Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

Company

About
Contributors

Newsletter

Newsletter
© Pitch Perfect 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Pitch Perfect
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact