The Spring Standards Set To Release Double EP & Play Schubas
By Eric Hehr in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 7, 2012 6:00PM
The Spring Standards.
The theme of youth is a consistent thread in all of The Spring Standards' music, but this theme is rarely explored from the same point of view. Their music is retrospective and reflects the infinity of youth through candid memories. Sometimes, these memories are bittersweet and fleeing. Other times, they are celebratory and euphoric. But despite the tone or mood The Spring Standards set, their musical voyage through the star-lit skies and sunny afternoons of youth is always expressed with as much sentiment and wistfulness as any great “coming-of-age” film.
The trio’s shared childhood in the rural landscape of the Pennsylvania/Delaware border is probably a large component in their choice of nostalgic themes. Before they were The Spring Standards, James Cleare, Heather Robb, and James Smith were three kids who would jam out James Taylor covers in their parent’s garage and play local folk festivals. Their friendship endured over the years and eventually lead to them Brooklyn, NY, where three country kids turned multi-instrumentalist musicians buckled down to record their third release, yellow//gold.
yellow//gold by The Spring Standards
yellow//gold, a 2-disc ep set to be released on May 1 by Parachute Shooter Records, is the accumulation of The Spring Standards' contrasting disposition on growing up, leaving home, and looking back on the past as you journey into the future. The title of the 2-disc EP is a clever summary of how one specific thing - such as a color or a memory - has many different shades to it. Taking a cue from Billy Corgan à la Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the EP is divided up into two different sections that each contain a specific tonality and perspective on the themes of youth, memory and nostalgia.
The yellow side is reminiscent and poignantly hushed, showcasing Heather Robb’s charming vocals. The opening track on yellow, “Only Skin,” is a heartbreaking ballad that sounds like the goodbye letter you never want to wake up next to, delicately placed on an empty pillow in the early hours of the morning: “Don’t use the stars to find me/ Don’t expect them to align/ If you see me when you’re dreaming/ Please don’t take it as a sign/I’m leaving now/I cannot stay/ I haven’t got the time.”
However, the gold side reflects an up-tempo, commemorative take on adolescence and remembrance, as well as an optimistic outlook on what may come next. At the centerpiece of gold is “Here We Go,” which sounds like a cross between The Cars “Just What I Needed” and early New Pornographers. The track surges with energy and the “butterflies-in-the-stomach” excitement of young love.
yellow//gold covers a vast spectrum of emotion, and I imagine that seeing The Spring Standards perform a 45-60 minute long set would be the equivalent of an emotional roller coaster. Luckily, us Chicagoans will have the opportunity to find out on May 7 when The Spring Standards play Schubas as part of their upcoming US tour in support of yellow//gold. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll long for the past, but you’ll be hopeful for what tomorrow may bring. Bring tissues and your dancing shoes. Check out the official video for “Here We Go” below, and make sure to check out the Schubas gig on May 7!
Click HERE to purchase tickets & get show information for The Spring Standards at Schubas, May 7.