Jarts CD shows leap forward for frontman
April 24, 2008
Local band The Jarts have chosen a most regrettable name, conjuring up as it does images of small children with huge, finned metal projectiles lodged in their tiny skulls.
Their wonderful debut album, however, more than redeems the unfortunate moniker.
Songwriter and lead vocalist Troy Gregorino has written and recorded some fine things as a solo artist, but both his writing and his singing seem to have leapt forward dramatically with the release of “Circadian Clocks.” It doesn’t hurt that the band wraps itself around his tunes in a snug, warm, musical cloud.
Gregorino’s singing is throaty and impassioned, while his songs are inventively melodic, the lyrics complex and literate without getting overly wordy. This is quite a balancing act, for a guy who dares in one song to rhyme “stereo” with “Ontario.”
The band easily handles a range of musical styles, from breezy, countrified folk to a kind of moody chamber pop. It’s not a hard-rocking sound for the most part, but at its best, it’s simply gorgeous, the tunes sailing along blissfully on the cello and keyboards of Ashley Ford and Michael Rinaldi-Eichenberg.
Rounding out the band are rhythm section Sam Oches on drums, and bassist Chris Pyle, who also handled production and mixing chores on “Circadian Clocks.”
To celebrate the album release, The Jarts will be playing Donkey Coffee & Espresso Saturday at 9 p.m.
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