Album review: The Young Republic

The Young Republic
12 Tales From Winter City

Label: End of the Road

Rating: 4 out of 5

12 Tales From Winter City is the debut album from Nashville-by-way-of-Boston 8-piece The Young Republic.

Their sound is, they claim, based on American folk and rock traditions but, unsurprisingly for a band full of classically trained music students, musical influences also come from further afield. Fusing exotic instruments and lush arrangements with classic American themes and song structures, The Young Republic have crafted a record that is rich and emotive.

Girl From The Northern States recalls Bright Eyes and Counting Crows, all lilting piano and haunting violins. She Comes And Goes is an alt.country rock extravaganza, with mesmerising layers and beautiful strings.

The fact that The Young Republic is made up of so many musicians means that they can share vocal responsibilities, something that adds to the variety in their sound.

Ending the record, Goodbye Town is the kind of bittersweet skiffle shuffle that would bring a tear to a glass eye. Modern Plays is a bit more “rawk”; the band whip up a real frenzy that channels Springsteen and is given depth via cracking backing vocals and fantastic woodwind and strings. Blue Skies is the best song on the album, and the song that most perfectly captures what the band is about.

The Young Republic certainly come close to fitting the bill of being an “American Arcade Fire”, certainly in terms of musicality and sheer numbers. Despite the fact that they plough a slightly less idiosyncratic furrow than their Canadian brethren, The Young Republic’s thrilling take on Americana more than satisfies.