The Saxophones: Songs of The Saxophones

Oakland based husband and wife folk duo The Saxophones take it slow on their first full-length Songs of The Saxophones. Alexi Erenkov (guitar, saxophone, Flute, synthesizer, vocals) and Alison Alderdice (drums, vocals) are aided by Richard Laws (bass, vibraphone, backing vocals) to serve up songs about failure, soothing sadness and the passing of time. That might sound heavy-handed, or even depressing, but it's not. Sometimes benng left behind can be a blessing in disguise. Caae in point: Alone Again. "I hear if you stop trying // everything works out fine // I heard you stopped caring, // now you have so much more time".

Due to their lack of volume The Saxophones deserve undivided attention. Their songs are not for casual listeners with a short attention span. In order to fully appreciate the elongated notes in Work Music, the lonesome guitar in Find I Forget or the nod to Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land in Picture it's best to draw the curtains an to disconnect the phone. Songs of The Saxophones is a prime example of ambient folk, a record that takes melancholy to the next level. Recommended if you like Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake.