In the summer of 2011 I went to Chicago to see The Decemberists at the Aragon Theatre. While they put on a memorable show, what really stuck with me from that night was one of their opening acts, the then relatively unknown Head and the Heart, an earnest, Seattle-born sextet. On paper the band is not demonstrably different from any of the other beard-rock folk revivalists to come out of the Pacific Northwest in recent years. Earnest, heart-on-the-sleeve harmonies? Check. Folk-revival stomp? Check. Flannel for everyone? Check. However, when their music is given a chance to speak for itself, the band shines through the hairy-faced haze created by their peers and creates something that, if not completely new, is certainly more arresting than the rest of the Northwestern herd.
Photo by Justine Bursoni Photography.
The sound of the group is anchored in the highly rhythmic piano lines of Kenny Hensley, complemented by the generally unobtrusive guitar work of Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell. While these form the core of the sound, a remarkable part of the Head and the Heart’s recorded incarnation is that not a single instrument is allowed to define the song. Instead, the players often seem to hold back, giving the song just enough push to maintain its own inertia and otherwise allowing it room to breathe and eventually fill the room. Unlike, for example, their more popular peers in Mumford and Sons, whose sound is most often associated with the banjo work of Winston Marshall, The Head and the Heart gives nothing more to the song than it requires, while somehow maintaining a captivating energy and inescapable sense of propulsion.
Their live performances maintain this gentle-thunderstorm ambiance, holding the audience in suspense until catharsis is reached, usually by way of the careworn three-part harmony between Johnson, Russell and Charity Thielen (who also occasionally adds violin to the mix). Aiding them are the inevitable-feeling assertions of drummer Tyler Williams and bassist Chris Zasche, who may form one of the most dominant rhythm sections in the new wave of folk-rock crashing upon us.
It has been a good long while since the Head and the Heart released their first full-length, although there are pieces of newer material floating around in the form of an iTunes Session and some band-recorded YouTube videos. A self-titled disc released independently in 2009 and then picked up, remastered and rereleased by Sub Pop in 2010, their first effort has kept the Head and the Heart on the road for an unusually long stretch of time, as they remained on tour for much of the following two years.
Now that they’re returning to Champaign-Urbana for the second time (this time around at the Pygmalion Music Festival) and with their sophomore record Let’s Be Still due out in a month, the Pygmalion crowds will have a chance to see a genuinely road-tested and refined act performing a set of first album highlights like “Ghosts”, “Rivers and Roads”, and “Lost in My Mind”, as well as material from their iTunes session and their new record. The first material made available off of the new disc is aptly named “Shake”, as the song departs noticeably from the sound of their first effort.
As far as conclusions can be drawn from a single song, the band seems to have avoided the possibility of creative stagnancy inherent in recording a follow up to a highly successful debut, a move that should continue to entertain old fans and hopefully garner them some new ones. This weekend at Pygmalion is a rare chance to see some of music’s most sonically powerful up and comers as well as the occasional superstar (looking at you, Major Lazer/Diplo). Judging from past experience, The Head and the Heart are certain to be one of the weekend’s standout acts, and it will be a rare treat to catch them in a venue with the pristine acoustics of the Krannert Center’s Tryon Theatre. Interested parties would do well to take advantage of these shows while they can.
Check out The Head and The Heart on Thursday night at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Single-show tickets are sold out at the moment (although more might be released at the door), but your only guarantee at this point is to grab a festival pass to see them.