Interesting and Light-Hearted Indie
Drifting in an acoustic bubble, Clayhill's mellow but changeable vibe is touching and so feather light that it will have you floating away to a less serious universe as soon as you press play.
Opener 'Beard' is the perfect example of happy go-lucky indie pop; all manner of sounds from glockenspiel to curious samples have their say, but the tune is simply so airy that they all bounce straight off into a merry orbit, as will your worries.
'Suffer Not' has some convincing see-sawing electric guitars which add a tinge of darkness to this jazzy and immediate track. While the guitars have obvious presence, Clayhill's percussion always remains high in the mix, powering tracks like 'Halfway Across' and the soulful, 'Buy Me A Suit' with its forceful punches. Even more fragile tracks like 'Mari Sol' benefit from an injection of snappy injection of pulse; epic breathy vocals akin to Sting make this track a pensive classic with big, sweeping guitar strokes like earnest sighs and chiselling strings which ache beneath the dissonant guitar notes.
'One Nerve' twinkles along a rhythmic riff, while the vocals careen and sigh with a subtle tension which bubbles and crashes in the chorus, "You're breaking me down one nerve at a time". Clayhill's instrumental blend is what keeps you listening; this track creates an edgy feel from usually laidback acoustic guitars and even the delicate glockenspiel has its place in creating the cumulative tension.
'Hang On' takes the opposite tack, with very minimalist instrumental interruption to the heady vocals for the most part of the track, when the keyboards finally arrive, it is to soothe and tease out the fragile tune. An unrestrained country feel takes over in 'Dying Breed' with sharp vocals soaring with mellow melancholy above the neat acoustic guitar arpeggios and bubbling bass. 'Whites Of The Eyes' is another wide-eyed masterpiece with driving piano chords and a busy fill of looming sounds.
Clayhill may not be revolutionary; their sound is frequently so mellow that it's unlikely to catch your attention enough to be radio fodder, but their songs are breezy and drift from cheery to pained and tense in the sweep of a string, while the bountiful mix of instruments is testament to their talent.