Progressive acoustic phenom, Yonder Mountain String Band, take the music to the next level with the release of the self-titled debut on Vanguard Records. YMSB bridges the gap between tradition and leads a new revolution of acoustic music. The new album was produced by Tom Rothrock, also known for his work with Elliot Smith, Beck, R.L. Burnside and James Blunt, among others. YMSB has previously released three studio albums on their own Frog Pad Records, as well as four volumes of their Mountain Tracks live albums. YMSB founded and created the annual all-acoustic Northwest String Summer Festival in Oregon which has featured performances by Keller Williams, Mike Gerdon, of Phish & Leo Kottke, Split Lip Rayfield, Shawn Camp, Danny Barnes and many more. YMSB was featured alongside Mindy Smith, Ben Harper, Dan Williams, Sufjan Stevens, and others on last year's Beatles' tribute album: This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute To The Beatles' Rubber Soul.
With the chiming opening strains of "Sidewalk Stars" and the propulsion that follows evoking memories of vintage U2, it's plain that Yonder Mountain is up to something a little different with its label debut. Long a concert powerhouse and popular jam band, with a combination of traditional bluegrass instrumentation, eclectic material, and organic improvisation dubbed "jamgrass," the quartet here demonstrates the difference between the demands of the recording studio and the liberation of live performance. Dave Johnston's banjo still drives the music, but the material (with the majority of the cuts under four minutes) depends more on hooks, harmonies, and tight arrangements than instrumental virtuosity. Some of the results suggest a similar spirit to the adventurousness of bluegrass prodigies Nickel Creek, though "How 'Bout You" could pass for an outtake from alt-country avatars Uncle Tupelo. The musical interplay takes flight on the instrumental "Fastball," but it barely lasts more than a minute. --Don McLeese