THE VOYCES: Press & Fanmail

THE VOYCES- KISSING LIKE IT’S LOVE- PLANTING SEEDS- Another fine new Planting Seeds signing, this band , around since 1999 (first I’ve heard of them) originally hailed from Southern California but relocated to NYC to seek their fame and fortune . I believe this is their 2nd record (their self-released debut, THE ANGELS OF FUN, came out in 2003) and while I have not heard it yet, there is a lot to like on this follow-up. KISSING LIKE IT’S LOVE has the sort of melodic soft-rock tendencies that any Beach Boys or Simon and Garfunkel fan would (and should) find endearing. Leader Brian Wurschum seems to have a knack for pretty melodies as the record opens up with the classic title track and then goes right into the soft n’ lovely “Hair Up High” and the even more soft n’ lovely “Call It Home” which sounds like something that could have been off the latest Autumn Defense record. Later on is the pretty , vocal heavy “Humming” and the possible tribute to Joni Mitchell, “The Canyon Ladies.” The record is nice and the perfect length (10 songs in just under 38 minutes) and the only dud here is the out of place (and curiously titled) “You’re in Charge of Driving the Narcotics Trolley and You’re doing an Excellent Job” but otherwise this was an excellent introduction to a band that I hope has many more records in them.

Sometimes we all need a break from the riff slashing and rhythmic thumping attack of rock music. Even if it’s just a few minutes a week, the widespread definition of “relaxing music” can be enjoyable for even the most ignorant elitists who prefer volume over quality. The Voyces deliver this type of delectable sound, being a series of hushed and air vocals, soft acoustic guitars, light keys, and moderately paced percussion. The beginnings of The Voyces came together in the late 90s when Brian Wurschum and Laurel Hoffman were members of the California-based alternative rock group DOG. The two lead singers eventually bonded and formed the softer acoustic duo Zelig. As Zelig, they released two albums, Mr. Night and Nevada, using their acoustically balanced folk approach, eventually propelling themselves to local success around California, specifically Los Angeles. After getting tired of their surroundings, the duo decided to move to New York City in 1999 to pursue their musical endeavors even more. After singings like a bunch of talented bums in Central Park and the subway, Wurschum and Hoffman gathered up a collective of talented local musicians and called themselves The Voyces. After establishing themselves as a quality band in the east village, they released The Angels of Fun in 2002. It was an impressive debut for the band in a similar mold to the acoustic folk approach of Zelig, though additions concerning percussion and keyboards were gladly noticeable. It was produced by Diego Garrido, known for his work in “The Simpsons” and “The Squid and the Whale”. Though the release saw a nice following in New York, the band’s true break was when their song “Relate To Me” appeared in Jack Johnson’s film “Thicker Than Water”, landing on the fast-selling soundtrack. Hoffman stopped singing with the band in 2005 and with that, Wurschum brought in a new supply of members, which included vocalist Jude Kastle, guitarist Steve Dawson, and drummer Eric Puente. This was in addition to Wurschum and bassist Frank Carreno. After recording on the compilation Sunsets & Silhouettes with the likes of Camera Obscura and Linda Draper, they released their second EP Love Arcade in 2006.

Kissing Like It’s Love will be released on May 8th and it’s the third EP from the band. The album is the same mold in which The Voyces can attribute their success. Influences are extremely noticeable, with Simon & Garfunkel and Neil Young both coming off as vital figures in Wurschum’s songwriting. The vocals themselves sound very much like Matthew Sweet and even somewhat like The Magic Numbers’ Romeo Stodart. This is especially evident in “Humming”, arguably the most concise pop song on the album. Wurschum and Kastle make for an accessible vocal duo, melodically singing along over a rapturous acoustic melody overlayed by a few electrical solo charges. “Top of My Lungs” reminds me of their earlier influences, being Simon & Garfunkel and Neil Young, singing in a traditional American folk typecast with a slight country slur and a gripping repetition of self-assuring. “I’ll be all right again baby,” indicates a slight pause, further pushing, “as soon as I get back home”. “Call It Home” is a song of stepping stones, beginning with a slight acoustic guitar eventually accompanied by keys, percussion, and bass. The song is another display of the band’s tendency to craft relaxing but effective choruses that sound suitably in touch with the album’s typically romantic mindset. Ten songs long, Kissing Like It’s Love offers a generally enjoyable experience pushed forward by The Voyces’ consistent style in offering lush melodies accompanied by the usual acoustics and distressed vocals. While it’s certainly not music to adjust a lively weekend to, a rainy Monday or Tuesday afternoon will do it great justice.

The Voyces
Kissing Like It's Love
(Planting Seeds Records)

After one listen to The Voyces Planting Seeds Records’ debut -“Kissing Like It’s Love” - and you’ll be hooked to their glowing tuneful style. The band echoes the sounds of pop music’s past as well as its ever so fervent future. Principal songwriter Brian Wurschum creates the well crafted pop song, recalling the mid 60’s era of The Beatles, the folk rock of Simon & Garfunkel, and the 70’s mini rock epics ala Pink Floyd. Their style maybe placed in a box and labeled anywhere from: Rock, Folk Rock, Acoustic Folk Rock, New York Folk, and everywhere in between. The sunny California shine of the title track “Kissing Like It’s Love” launches the groups long awaited LP with it’s sugary sweet chorus. The soft ballad “Hair Up High” follows with its elegant smooth guitar strums and the band’s signature harmonies. The majestic beauty of “Call It Home” continues the album’s melodic element, while the introspective acoustic interlude “Please Wash Away” appears with its stripped down heartfelt vocals, acoustic guitar and light piano taps. “Humming” chimes in with one of the catchiest refrains you’ll hear this decade – instantly memorable. “Top Of My Lungs,” showcases even more of the Wurschum magic: Jangly guitars, soaring harmonies, and a song destined to be a classic. The album’s closing number – the delicate “Where The Little Girls Still Throw Roses,” features Brian’s warm vocal, light guitar picking and makes for the perfect ending. Whether blending funky pop, epic rockers or near psychedelia, “Kissing Like It’s Love” collects ten tracks of pure pop heaven you’re sure to fall for.

The Voyces
Love Arcade
Planting Seeds Records

After getting their day in the sun on Jack Johnson's soundtrack to his surf film Thicker Than Water, The Voyces put together an album of music that is ripped straight from the 60's and 70's. Songs like 'Mercedes' and 'Tangerine' are excellent and sound as if they were recorded over 30 years ago. That, my friend, is certainly not a bad thing. The Voyces are talented in ways that many musicians can only dream of. While many musicians these days are trying to push the envelope and be creative and different, the Voyces came along and decided to keep it real, natural, organic, and old school. The entire album is a throwback to simpler times and really sets a nostalgic mood. Don't get me wrong, it's content is updated and is accessible to all music fans. The track that appears on Jack Johnson's soundtrack is included on the album as well. The Voyces are truly and unique group and make music that is incredibly timeless.

Various Artists
Easy To Be Free: The Songs Of Rick Nelson
Planting Seeds Records


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Back in the golden era of rock and roll music, young people had one thing to look forward to every week on the burgeoning black and white television… The Ozzie And Harriet Show. The reason for their expectation was simple. Each week at the finish of the show The Nelson's son Ricky would perform a song, outdoing Elvis Presley and any other rocker of the time. Ricky's voice was clear and strong, and his songs expressed the sentiments of being a teenager at the time so well that he was immediately a hit. Of course, having a young James Burton on guitar didn't hurt, either. Over the next few decades, Nelson continued his songwriting and singing career, giving the world some amazing songs.

On Easy To Be Free, a host of indie artists pay tribute to these amazing songs, and in turn, to the great man who wrote the songs. The Voyces rendition of "Poor Little Fool" preserves the original spirit of the song, having an innocent purity to the performance that recalls a simpler time in rock music. Linda Draper gives a slow and melancholy performance on "How Long", showcasing her delicately beautiful voice and bringing note to the dark complexity of what could be mistaken as a simple Nelson composition. Nic Dalton & The Gloomchasers give a slightly psychedelic spin to the classic "Alone", while 1888 gives the classic "Travelin' Man" a neo-fifties treatment. It's real cool. Rockers Dolorean give a lo-fi slowcore performance of the amazingly deep "Are You Really Real" and John Beland does a fantastic job reviving the innocent wonder of "Young Love".

The highlight of this collection for me is John McEuen (of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fame) doing an absolutely blistering version of the rockabilly classic "Believe What You Say", speeding things up a bit and working in some nice bluegrass touches to create an awesome grass-a-billy version of one of my favorite Nelson songs. The song just absolutely rocks, maintaining the original feel of the tune while incorporating some nice banjo rolls and adding just a bit more hop to the rhythm. Jeff Larson gives a very early Byrds-like reading of the cool "Legacy", which leads into a slow-down version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" performed by the indomitable Marshall Crenshaw. Liz Durrett slows "Try (Try To Fall In Love)" way down and makes it almost an ambient track and Aaron Booth gives the super slow treatment to the famously rocking ""Hello Mary Lou", stripping it of all its rock glory and turning it to a beautifully haunting slo-fi Red House Painters' style track; beautifully done and lending an air to the song that I didn't know it could contain… I guess James Burton guitar solos don't have to always be the best part of Ricky Nelson's songs.

And so the songs of the man who Bob Dylan proclaimed "His voice was sort of mysterious and made you fall into a certain mood" are brought to a new generation of rockers. Hopefully the next generation can take away some of the intrinsic values that Ricky Nelson's songs contain, bringing new life to rock and roll. And a really great thing about this collection, besides some great music, is that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each CD goes to support CancerCare (www.cancercare.org), an organization doing great things to support those who suffer from cancer.

A drastic reinterpretation of someone else's song can be exciting, though also disastrous, but there's something refreshing about a tribute album that leaves the experiments for someone else. Easy to Be Free is a true tribute - a bunch of musicians who obviously love Rick Nelson's music singing and playing them straight-ahead, trying to capture some of the grace and spirit of them. It's a rock-solid, enjoyable album, with no major disasters and a fair share of renditions that show a genuine understanding of Nelson's gifts as a songwriter and performer, and yet are not so direct that they come off like cheap imitations. Instead the contributors' own musical personalities shine through, but so does Nelson's, at very moment. Including both songs Nelson wrote and songs he didn't, and capturing the varied stages of his career – as teen pop idol, as country-rock singer, etc. – the album kicks off with The Primary 5, Paul Quinn (ex-Teenage Fanclub)'s current band doing an energetic "One X One," followed by a nice and smooth "Poor Little Fool" from "The Voyces. Linda Draper's spellbinding "How Long" properly demonstrates the dreamy quality of Nelson's music. Astropop 3 keep their take on "Life" pure and simple, and benefit greatly for it. Micheal Barrett's "Nightime Lady" is hushed and romantic. Liz Durrett's "Try (To Fall in Love)" swoons in slow-motion, like her own songs, while capturing – as many of the songs do – the sensitive, introspective aspects to Nelson. The whole affair feels particularly attuned to why Nelson is a musician to pay attention to, yet it's also a completely listenable and rewarding collection.

Most of the songs on "The Angels Of Fun" are undeniably hooky and suprisingly refreshing despite their obvious references to your father's folksy record collection. While the reverberant chorus of voices (and Voyces) and overly joyous handclaps may sometimes border hokey, any person with an inkling of respect for our 60's folk ancestors who repeatedly find themselves defending The Polyphonic Spree will enjoy this album.

The Voyces is a group featuring the voices of Brian Wurschum and Laurel Hoffman. The music these two make comes off like modern day folk, with an alternative rock attitude.

The Angels Of Fun is illustrated with drawings of long-legged, naked angels. Either these are the angels of fun referred to by the CD title, or they’re some kind of heavenly women’s basketball team. At times, this vocalizing sounds a bit like an unplugged Supertramp. Other times, it hearkens back to vintage Simon & Garfunkel. Vocals are backed by plenty of tinkling pianos and strummed acoustic guitars. “The Funniest Thing That I Know” sounds oldest of all, era-wise, and actually comes off like a madrigal tune. In other words, it’s quite classical sounding. The end of “Lie Down On Me” may just catch you off guard, as it slips into a reggae beat at the tune's close.

The Voyces is an apt name for this duo, because vocalizing is front and center most of the time here. It’s not comprised of complicated vocals, the way Brian Wilson projects are, for instance. Nevertheless, there are rarely the sorts of instrumental solos you usually find on pop and rock albums. These songs are also smartly written, which gives them a distinctly literary feel. Everything here adds up to an oddly likeable recording.

Brian,

So I was listening to some stuph on iTunes today when your cover of "Deliver Your Children" came up and I was like: "Whatever happened to Zelig?"  This of course led to some serious Google-ing, which of course led me to The Voyces.

I'll keep this short and sweet.  A couple of my friends and I were extraordinarily hardcore about Simon and Garfunkel in high school.  "The Boxer" was my "pregame music" for my entire senior year of speech and debate (yeah... basketball players have rap music, nerds have S&G).  Anyway, I've always loved the sound - and no matter what band gets inspiration from them (Barenaked Ladies also comes to mind), I've always loved and respected that.

So when I was a senior in high school (1999) and the marching band took a trip to New York City (I know, this gets dorkier by the moment), my then-girlfriend and I found ourselves sneaking into Central Park for a walk while the rest of the group was supposed to be window shopping on 5th Avenue.  We walked by you and Laurel playing and singing.  I told my gf that we had to head back and buy a CD (how quaint!), and we did.

I want to tell you that from the time I played that album back at the hotel until now, it has been one of my favorite albums of all time - not only because of the music but because it reminds me of my first trip to New York City.  We midwesterners don't get out much, so it was kind of a big deal at the time.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you 'thank you' for over a decade of listening to that album.  I play Zelig at least once a year in my classes (I'm a social studies teacher and I play different music every day as the kids move between classes to try and broaden their perspectives and introduce them to all kinds of different tastes...) and I'll definitely be checking out The Voyces in the future.

Rock on, Brian.

 

hello voyces. i just wanted to drop you a line to say how much i love your music. heart-stoppingly beautiful, at times almost unbearably poignant.

i really hope you'll be making up to vancouver at some point (in spite of whatever hassles are involved in crossing the border).

"The lyrics (to Let Me Die In Southern California) were clearly given to you by God..."

Dearest Voyces,

 

   Congratulations on your new album. I haven't stopped listening to it since it arrived in the mail. Brilliant! Your best album yet!

Hi Voyces,

 

I love your new album so much. It is beautiful and classic in every way. I love the lyrics. They are so much better than most of the lyrics I ever hear anymore. Brian you are such a poet. And your voices are gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!!! What an achievement.

I love you Voyces.

so i'm listening to your cd over and over again for days straight and i keep wondering why the hell you don't make a trip down under because they would love you here. come on now.

Your latest is blowin my freakin mynd.

hey guys!

My name is Eric and i discovered your music from a friend. I fell in love
with the song "kissing like it's love". I have just started playing guitar
a few months ago and was wondering if you would be able to tell me what
the chords are. I don't mean to play it at shows/ make a profit from it. I
just really enjoy the song. If you feel comfortable I would greatly
appreciate it. YOu guys are a wonderful band and really good music to cook
to, haha. Have a great day!

Sincerely with peace

Me and my brother listen to your music all the time. We own everything you put out. We deserve to see you play, right? Will you ever hit the road or do we have to fly to New York?

James and Chris (Texas)

Dear Voyces,

Please marry me.

Thanks,
Regina

Hey guys,
Digging the new cd. My friends and I are wondering though...what the hell is The Canyon Ladies about?

Hi Brian,

I received your new album from Barnes & Noble yesterday and I gave it a few spins since then. To be more precise it got stuck in the CD-player :) I think you did a very good job with this record. The sound is fine as well. The songs are as strong as on the other albums but I think this one is more coherent, it's really one piece of fine work. So, I'm really, really happy with it.

As far as I have seen in the pictures on your website you must have been quite a lot into heavy-metal music earlier. When I was in secondary-school (I think it's called high-school in your country) I was very much into Iron Maiden and other similar stuff. Then as I got older (I'm going to turn 31 this month, so I'm not that old though) I found myself totally out of that scene and very much into folk and singer/songwriter-music. It's not that I don't have favorite heavy-metal songs but it's those calmer music that touches me more.

Your music is very soothing and brings joy to me everytime I listen to it. I think I must be thankful to Jack Johnson that he added your song on the Thicker than Water compilation because otherwise I would not have known your music. I think people who love your music here in Europe got to know your band via that compilation. Of course I don't know him personally but I think Jack Johnson must be a nice person.

Have you heard about the collaboration between Briton Billy Bragg and Wilco, Mermaid Avenue? They were asked by Woodie Guthrie's daughter Norah to write music to Guthrie lyrics that were in the archives. Out of that collaboration arose two wonderful records Mermaid Avenue I & II. I'm really curious if you have heard about it or maybe even know those records because I think they're a wonderful piece of music.

I also wanted to say thanks that you always take the time to answer my mails which is really a nice feeling for me. I don't think that a lot of artists would do that.

Wish you all the be best

Peter



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Hi,

I want to say some more pleasing words about your new album. An important sign for me on how good it is, is that I want to listen to it again and again. With some albums you have to force yourself a little to listen to them several times in a row but with Kissing Like It's Love the opposite is the case: the record forces you to listen to it over and over. That really says something. What I also really like about the album is that the sequencing of the songs is very good. As one song ends there comes another that makes you snap your fingers and say: Oh yes, that's pretty cool. The record is very fluid which makes it a great pleasure to listen to it form start to the end in a whole.
So congratulations once again :) You really made my day!

I keep spreading the word for you among my friends and people I know and will show them your music. I think none out of them will be disappointed.

Wish you (and the whole band) all the best and

Lovely greetings from Hungary

Peter

Dude... your video rocks!!! and the songs great too. :) So incredibly glad
to see you doing so well!!

-michal the girl-

Do you know how much your music means to people? It fills our house often. No one makes music like yours anymore and it is so refreshing and powerful.
You're like our dream band truthfully. Lyrics are brilliant, dears. I'm not just saying. It's like a modern day Bob Dylan fronting an outstanding rock and roll band. (Yes!! I am comparing you to Bob Dylan!) I hope the world hears you. We do feel your heart ache and we relate to you.
Now get your butts to Texas.
;=)

You guys rock.

Please post this so my name will be on your site.

Jason Dunleavy

Brian,

I've been meaning to write you regarding the new album. It's awesome!
Congratulations! The material is amazing..."Please Wash It Away" may be the
most beautiful song I've ever heard...personal favorites include (obviously)
"Please Wash It Away", "Top Of My Lungs", "Kissing Like It's Love", and
"Humming". I love the reworked verson of "Call It Home" as well. That song
is one of my top ten favorites of all time (all artists), I even put it on
my wedding CD! You've done it again Brian, truly fantastic work my friend,
you should be very proud...just don't take so long for the next one, ok?
Kidding...

Can't wait to see the band live! Talk to you soon.

Bill

I LOVE your new CD!!! I listen to it over and over in the car. Tracks 1-4 especially!