Maria Agostini and Nathan Bryant are The Border Lane. The band hasn’t been around very long but they are off to a great start with Beacons of Nowhere which contains three songs. They make a mention to Neil Young and The Shins as influences to their sound. That makes a lot of sense when listening to the songs. The similarities to The Shins was certainly there once I started to think about it.
Up first is “The Vibrant Pass” which is a very well written song with great vocal melodies and lush, warm instrumentation. The instrumentation revolves around acoustic guitar, lead guitar and subtle percussion. It's a simple song but really well done with memorable hooks. Bryant sings, “Call it what I want, it's what I do / Lost my voice two miles back beneath the law and the vibrant pass.” Up next is “Greenhouse” which is another success. The song structure is really well done and the vocal melodies are again top notch. It's very catchy and instantly infectious. “Patina” is the closer and I think it reminded me most of that alt-country vibe The Shins sometimes take on. As far as the melodies and songs go they don’t disappoint. They go three for three due to sharp songwriting and well delivered vocal melody. The duo did a good job in the engineering department. They recorded it and mixed it themselves and then sent it to get professionally mastered. I’d say it sounds far better than the average DIY project but still is a little shy from the audio fidelity of a bigger album from a group like The Shins. The duo are really talented. There is a little more digging I’d like to see in terms of finding a distinct sound but this is a great start. Recommended.
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