The Depth and the Whisper
The cover of One Steady Breath — a wistful photograph of an open bottle of red wine whose label reflects the band and album names — adequately sums up the music: This is soft rock for sentimental adults. Perhaps you’d care for some cheese with that wine? Sample this platter: It’s funny how the simple things make your life worthwhile. Or: I could tell you anything/Except the most important words that I need to say. Sorry, last one: I’d throw myself against those rocks/I’d hope to die poetically with you. But picking on the hacky lyrics isn’t totally fair because there’s some tight, skillful songwriting on this six-song debut EP from Kansas City’s Albert Bickley and Dave Tanner. “Be Together,” an upbeat, airy pop nugget in the vein of Big Star, connects. And the sturdy buildup on “Too Late to Be Your Fool” achieves a kind of emotional tension that the sappy guitar solos and cornball lyrics fail to manage elsewhere. These guys actually have some chops, which would be more apparent if they stopped writing licensing-deal love letters to CW dramas.
