Storm Conductor is set for release on 4/20. This is the third offering from Youth in a Roman Field. The mastermind behind this project is singer/violinist Claire Wellin with contributions coming from Tiffany Topol, Scott Stangland, Jamie Mohamdein, Cassidy Stirtz, and Katrina Lenk. Some of the tracks have the ability to whisk you away to the hills of rolling green in Ireland like a bar of Irish Spring, making it surprising that Youth in a Roman Field hail from New York.
The album opens up as if an orchestra was warming up before the curtains are drawn. As the melody becomes apparent it’s both adventurous and somewhat melancholic. A gentle operatic influenced woman’s voice calls out beautifully with a few overdubbed layers of alternate pitches that provide great harmony and thicken the sound into full spectrum stereo. “Your hand in mine”, is a short and sweet way to bring a listener in.
Sounding like a veteran jazz singer, Claire’s voice is most definitely the focal point, doing things most instruments just can’t. While there is a lack of a full on drum kit there isn’t a shortage of percussive additives. I’m not talking samples, I’m talking hand claps, unconventional tribal-like drums, and I even swore I heard a finger cymbal. The strings definitely posses a Celtic quality, yet sometimes can be morbidly curious.
The album’s title track “Storm Conductor” pulls away from the direction of the majority of the album. Vocals, strings, unconventional percussion, yes. The overall mood begins with a sick kind of twist. Similar to the way that Stephen King utilizes happy retro songs during a murder scene. There is something in the way she sings “It was an accident” that makes you second guess the innocent.
Finishing out the album is, “When the city goes quiet,” an acapella song with a gentle choir of group backing vocals. Youth in a Roman Field is the kind of music you want to submerge and wrap yourself in. Gentle with the occasional eyebrow lifting quirk.
Tour Dates
April 23 | Los Angeles, CA | Hotel Cafe
April 24 | San Francisco, CA | Hotel Utah
April 25 | San Francisco, CA | SoFar Sounds
April 26 | Prineville, OR | House Concert | Email for Details
May 1 | Seattle, WA | Tim’s Tavern | Tickets @ Door
May 3 | Bismarck, ND | Laughing Sun Brewing | Free
May 5 | Minneapolis, MN | Music @ The Upsidedown House Series
May 7 | Des Moines, IA | Vaudeville Mews | Tickets @ Door
May 8 | Fairfield, IA | Cafe Paradiso
May 9 | Madison, WI | The Wisconsin Room Presents
May 10 | LaCrosse, WI | The Root Note | Free
May 13 | Milwaukee, WI | The Jazz Estate | Tickets @ Door
May 15 | Chicago, IL | Martyr’s*
May 16 | Chicago, IL | The Green Mill Cocktail Hour | Free
May 17 | South Bend, IN | House Concert @ The Bramble | Donation @ Door
May 18 | Lansing, MI | House Concert | Donation @ Door
May 22 | New Haven, CT | Cafe Nine
May 28 | Winston-Salem, NC | The Wherehouse Art Hotel
May 29 | Charlotte, NC | The Evening Muse
May 30 | Athens, GA | The World Famous
June 1 | New Orleans, LA | The Foundation Room @ The House of Blues | Free
June 6 | Nashville, TN | The Back Corner | Tickets @ Door
June 7 | Bluffton, OH | The Town Hall Concert Series
June 25 | NY, NY | Mercury Lounge*| with Behaviorist
Following the 4/20 release of Storm Conductor, you may be able to catch a glimpse of their live show as they head out on the road in support. You can find pre-order and purchase details through the bands’ website or by following them on Facebook.
