The Westerlies
Self-Titled
(Songlines)
A double disc of 17 songs and their second album, The Westerlies construct a brass masterpiece here, where covers of Ellington, Ives and English folk songs are mixed with originals penned by the band members. The band play with a skill akin to classically trained musicians, are bold enough for the world of rock, and possess a timeless quality where trombones and trumpets are at the forefront of the songs. While the listen is best absorbed in its entirety, each song resonates in its own light, from calming to rowdy, and with plenty of manipulations of sounds, especially from the trombone. In any other hands, getting this sound would require the aid of technology, but in these hands it’s merely organic chemistry.
