grace & Caperings - Grace & Caperings

Grace &  Caperings

Grace &  Caperings
self-released; 2013

3.4 out of 5

By Ted  Rogen

Forming in early 2012 Grace & Caperings recently released a five-song self-titled EPGrace & Caperings. The first thing you notice while listening to the songs is the innate talent of the musicians. There's some fantastic drumming, very impressive lead work as well as rhythm work on the guitar, and subtle yet effective bass lines. The songs here are pretty straightforward and don't keep you guessing. Everything from the melodies to the production is easy to digest  (almost too much so at points). For example, the lead singer’s voice (Tony Astolf) is calming especially so when combined with the other singer’s (Sarah Miller). The guitars are warm and the bass is round making sure there are no shrill highs on this record. Another thing that should be noted is that the songs get better after repeated listens. My initial attraction to this EP was the instrumental aspect but with repeated listens I started to dig the songs as well. 

The EP starts out with one of the strongest songs on the album entitled “Banner.” It begins with a wonderful little interplay between the ride cymbal and the acoustic guitar. Within about 30 seconds the whole band is in full force and sounding like a jam band. Luckily, this doesn't last long as they decide to instead follow a more traditional format. The vocal melodies and strong here and don't feel forced. “My Soul Makes Its Boast” is a song with overt religious overtones that despite how you feel about the lyrics has solid songwriting and has an  uplifting energy. ”Just as I am known” reinforces the same style and tones that were apparent on the previous three songs; uplifting, poppy and hopeful. The album ends with “I give you my peace” which has the strongest vocal melodies on the album.

This album has songs that were on the verge of making me cringe a number of times. Don't get me wrong. The songs are well put together and display great skills in all the players but some of the songs were a bit too cozy sounding and sometimes were covered in too much sap for my taste. That being said I still recommend taking the time to check this out especially if you enjoy music that has religious overtones. 

Become A Fan

official website