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Boston based acoustic folk rockers San Lorenzo have just released their brand new EP just last week titled "Noble Dust". The 6 track EP is a specially blended milange of upbeat folk rock rhythms conjured upon a strong, sound framework that gives off an air of authenticity to this local band that is beginning to find their groove, and enter the pantheon of great Boston area music acts.
We start things off with "Just Once", a mellow, low key track that starts off with the soothing vocals of Emily Cunningham, and is truly a ensemble effort with each band member bringing in their individual talents to create something that truly breaks through, and gets matters started off right away. "The Stillness" features much of the same elements from the previous track, but is presented in a different frame of mind to show the somewhat different path that the group took with intricate trombone elements thrown in for good measure to give the song some pizazz and really has a winter feel to it with its warm, inviting sound being the magnetic pull here. My favorite track off the EP is "Sore Eyes", an amazing, old school country-folk styled tune that sounds like something The Avett Brothers would create, and really brings everyone in the band together to create something that is groundbreaking and unique. Evan Spetrini adds his superb vocal abilities to the song, and he also engineered and produced the entire effort where you can hear his musical wisdom spread all throughout that really makes this effort worth listening to entirely.
The second half begins with "Relatively", a breezy, laid back tune that once again finds Emily's vocals working their magic, and giving the song a certain unheralded beauty that can't be denied, and brings the sounds of winter together all in one fell swoop. "Shade Below" gets us ready for the conclusion of the album with some neat saxophone sounds finding its way into the crevice that really diversifies the song as a whole, and balances everything out to make the track that much more appealing to the person listening. "Kintampo Road" closes out the effort with another amazing vocal effort once again put forth by Emily, and presents a more bare bones approach with some acoustic elements being surrounded by brass instruments, some light percussion, and the general comfort and friendship of everyone in the band around to put everything in perspective, and cap off an extremely well produced effort brought forth before you. As mentioned before, Colin McDonald produced this effort, whom you may remember from his other band Pulitzer Prize Fighter that have been featured a couple of times before here on the site, and it's great to see him branching out into other creative avenues to hone his talent and expose his creative juices at the same time that really brings about the best of both worlds.
All in all, a superb and well executed effort from San Lorenzo, a group that definitely represents the perfect embodiment of a band who are starting to find their comfort zone, and are ready to move into the pantheon of great Boston area local bands who offer up something different for the crowd. Listen on Bandcamp here.
EP Score: 4.5/5
Track Listing:
1. Just Once
2. The Stillness
3. Sore Eyes
4. Relatively
5. Shade Below
6. Kintampo Road