We recently covered Builder Of The House with the release of their single, ‘Evergreen’, the first from their new album, ‘Ornaments’, which is due out tomorrow, July 14.
The nine track album is a folky-pop album, with opener ‘Never Going Back Again’ echoing an African, Spiritual sound, with a Southern shanty style rhythm. Track two, ‘When No One Is Here’ is breathy and ethereal, with simple instrumentation including guitar and keys, and backing vocals and overall sound reminiscent of Irish artists such as Kodaline and runabay.
‘My New Eyes’, the third song on the album, again reflecting the African influence of the Marimba band the duo had once been a part of, is upbeat and underpinned by the rhythms and vocals rather than focusing on instrumentation, which is very simply provided by guitar.
The uniting feature of all the tracks on the album is the use of guitar, and this is no less the case than in song four, ‘Look At The Man’. The light and airy vocals have returned, and sparse vocals say enough but not too much, enabling the listener to be immersed in the tune without being overwhelmed.
We’ve covered ‘Evergreen’ already – but the track which follows, ‘Dawn Of Day’, is possibly our favourite, as the foot-tapping rhythms make us want to throw down the work for the day and get up and dance out the door. It’s the perfect track for a glorious summer’s day and, like ‘Evergreen’, could quite easily be released as a single, and receive similar if not more praise.
Track 7, ‘Lily’, is all drums, beats, and whistles, with deep backing vocals adding to the overall joyous feel of the song. ‘Pray For Me’ continues with a similar fast pace, but a completely different style, and the overall impression is one of despair rather than joy.
‘Weight In Gold’, track 9, brings the album to a close, and has a very traditional folk feel, reminding us of The Lumineers. Both feet are needed to tap to this one, as the strong drums and guitar compel the listener to become involved. The vocals, once again airy and breathy, carry us away on a gentle breeze, punctuated every now and again by key changes in both instrumentation and voice.
‘Ornaments’ is set for release tomorrow, July 14, and can be pre-ordered from iTunes. Find Builder Of The House online on Twitter, Facebook, and their official website.
