Ravens + Chimes

Holiday Life
Better Looking Records

Opening with a catchy but simple piano melody, it is easy to see why Ravens + Chimes is developing an increasing fanbase. Holiday Life is the follow-up to the critically applauded 2007 album Reichenbach Falls. Six years later, the band doesn’t miss a step with its latest offering, combining the dual vocal quality of The Decemberists with the hopeful notes and layered instruments of Arcade Fire to produce a completely unique sound.

Aside from the allure of the opener, Division Street, the following album carries listeners through an archive of cheerful arches and intense hooks, combining reflective verses with moments of focused keys and drum beats. Carousel  celebrates the end of Ravens + Chimes’ period of writer’s block after years of exhaustive touring, and the final song rounds off the album with a triumphant flourish. Originally meant for a Twilight soundtrack, Carousel certainly carries an element of cinematic intensity.

An anthem to overcoming creative struggles, the joy in the delicate and driven notes is incessantly captivating, making Holiday Life well worth the wait. www.ravensandchimes.com.

Hannah Clugston