Seaons - Aprilis

Seaons

Aprilis
self-released; 2015

4.4 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Matt Jensen

Sean Siders (lead vocals/guitar/keys), Grayson Phelps (bass) and Micah McCaw (guitar) are Seaons. They recently released Aprilis, which is unequivocally one of the best albums I have heard this year. The band mixes in multiple genres seamlessly into an original sound that is hard to deny. 

The thing that kept impressing me was the transitions into unexpected territory. I’ve listened to a lot of music in my life and let's just say I find a lot of it predictable. That’s not the case here. The songs meld experimental tendencies with catchy melodies that in my opinion is one of the hardest for a band to accomplish. I will also mention that the production and recording quality is superb. Everything sounded great from the keys to the vocals. 

The album starts with “Spaces of Heart & Mind.” It starts with soft piano and distant guitar as a heartfelt, warm vocal is laid over. Not too much later some energy is picked and it reminded me of Fleet Foxes. The first three minutes are great but the thing that made me realize the band might be unique is the last minute where it bleeds into dark, ambient atmosphere. The transition got me excited for what lay ahead. 

“Spaces of Heart & Mind” seamlessly flows into “March” which is an exceptional piece of work. “March” goes into completely new spaces as well. The end sounds like a classical piece you would hear at the opera. At this point I realized that every song ran into the next in some way. The haunting acoustic performance on “Rain/Garden of Time” might exist just to transition into “Aprilis Fields.”

The band continues to deliver great song after great song with one of my personal favorites being “The Visionary” which rocks out and climaxes with crashing crescendos. As the album progresses there is so much more to take in with the funky “Revolution of Aprilis” and subdued closer “Nostalgia.”

Aprilis is an exceptional album that should hopefully bring this band a vast audience. Their music is competitive with some of the best artists of today. Highly Recommended.

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