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Boston indie-folk upstarts Tales of Olde have finally released their long awaited self-titled debut EP. The group have been gaining some recognition in the local circles with their authentic blend of folk rock turning heads and generating a huge audience response in the process that has made them a must see draw.
We start things off with "Death", a high energy, melodic folk rock blast that sets things in motion particularly quickly, and introduces you to the fine vocal abilities of the husband and wife team of Lucas and Evelyn Cortazio that shows the strong and deep musical bond that permeates throughout the whole album and allows each individual musician to perform at their highest level possible and bounce ideas off of each other when needed. "Be Mine Again" is my favorite track off the album that completely exemplifies the band's musical mission with the exquisite work on the fiddle courtesy of Ellen Story while her husband Drew handles the guitar duties with remarkable aplomb resulting in a strong emotional effect that really makes you love the group that much more and is probably one of the best homegrown tracks that I can remember in recent memory. "Ghost In My Head" provides for a more different frame of mind with outstanding rhythms that deviate greatly from the primarily folk based melodies that were abound in the first couple of tracks, but it gives off an air of diversity and musicianship never before seen with outstanding rhythms and the insatiable one-two punch of drummer Al Cleveland and bassist Jeff Kinsey who are the backbone of the group's rhythm section and help push the band to new heights that couldn't have been deemed possible. "Why" gets us ready for the conclusion of the album with a more downtempo musical course that has more varied instrumentation, but still retains the folk based mindset from the prior tracks and establishes the band's resolve pretty quickly and their ability to weave emotion through unabashed beauty that has flourished right from the very beginning. "Tell Me" concludes our musical stay here with an all encompassing track that acts as a reflection of everything we've heard on the album while presenting it in a soft and delicate musical format that comes full circle and presents all the band's strengths together in one unique package. I saw these guys in concert last week at Great Scott on the occasion of the album's release, and I was floored at how much these guys dominated the stage that night from beginning to end, where they let all their emotions flow out greatly and you began to realize at how genuine and real these musicians were with their audience that showcased their true colors and what they were like as regular people also.
In retrospect, a terrific and spectacular debut effort from Tales of Olde, a band that have been making waves in the local scene for a couple of years now, and are bound to get even bigger with this release that signifies a strong musical statement and the kinship developed between all the musicians as the result of playing together.
Score:4.5/5
Track Listing:
Death
Be Mine Again
Ghost In My Head
Why
Tell Me