Hey Rosetta! 'Second Sight' Album Review: Beautiful & Solid Sound

For those out there who have not heard about Hey Rosetta! or one of their songs for that matter, their new album "Second Sight" would be a good place to start.

The Indie/Rock/Pop mash-up that is Hey Rosetta! is a refreshing sound that will take your ears on a pretty awesome journey.

If Young The Giant met Bon Iver and Band of Horses you would gather the sound of Hey Rosetta! instantly.

"'Second Sight', Hey Rosetta!'s first album in nearly four years represents the longest musical gestation in the band's history," according to the bands main page.

"In part, the delay was due to the lengthy touring cycle following the success of their last album Seeds, which was short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize, and resulted in the band's first JUNO nomination and a performance on the JUNO telecast."

The opening song titled, "Soft Offering (for the Oft Suffering)" is pleasant and opens the musical palette to the overall sound of the album.

The seven-piece Canadian band of Tim Baker on vocals and guitar, Adam Hogan on guitar, Josh Ward on bass and vocals, Phil Maloney on drums and percussion, Romesh Thavanathan on cello, keys and vocals, Kinley Dowling on violin, keys and vocals and finally Mara Pellerin on French horn, keys and vocals mixes deep emotion and feel good music to create a song that listeners will love.

"Gold Teeth" is the second offering on the album and the wide range of instruments that are heard on the track come together in a harmonious "Pitchfork" sounding bliss.

"Second Sight" was recorded at Montreal's MixArt studio and produced by Marcus Paquin (Arcade Fire, Stars, The National). In "Second Sight," the bands identity seems to have been coaxed out by Paquin.

"I challenged the band to pull influence from new places and check out new sounds and let go of what they had accomplished in their demos," said Paquin according to the band's release. "From those new sounds and inspirations, Tim's lyrics just kept expanding.

Musically and dynamically, this record has an extremely wide range compared to where we started. And Tim's unmistakable voice is the glue that holds everything together."

Baker's voice truly shines on the album with a lot of help from the rest of the band.

Often times lyricists are highly regarded among other members but Hey Rosetta! is that very exception where each contribution is important in the overall final product.

Other notable tracks include, "What Arrows," "Kid Gloves," the second single titled, "Kintsukuroi," the beautifully done "Cathedral Bells," and "Alacatraz" The closing track "Trish's Song" is a delicate sort of adult lullaby. From start to finish the album takes you on a ride through a river filled a rocky current that finally eases into a sweet shallow end.

"Second Sight" is scheduled to be released on January 27.

For those looking to catch up on the sound before the release of "Second Sight," "Seeds" and "Into The Lungs" are available for download on iTunes along with a few other pieces from the band.