Elephant: ‘Sky Swimming’

The melodies rise, paced and strong yet delicate, in a finely crafted tone. An echoing mezzo-soprano joins in.

When the vocals and instrumentation drift together, the music plays out with synthesizer, which create a haunting yet beautiful movement.

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This sound belongs to English pop duo Elephant’s debut album, “Sky Swimming,” released April 29. The group creates a specific atmosphere in each song, rooting the music in a pop style. Listeners can expect catchy hooks.

Indeed, several of these hooks are noteworthy. If the first song, “Assembly,” isn’t alluring enough, the album’s second song, “Skyscraper,” boasts a light and fun sound that is certain to raise some interest.

To say Elephant produces only a pop sound would be false. The band manages to produce a dream-like quality through every melody — the overall sound aspires to be like the band Beach House while treading lyrically similar to a band like Daughter.

While maybe not as rounded as either of those bands, Elephant’s effort seems, to some degree, influenced by them. And if not, they still rise to the same musicianship through a ghostly, pop-oriented sound.

“Sky Swimming” shines in the direction more pop music should aspire to. With plenty of energy and clever melodies, “Swimming” manages to virtually reimagine the pop song format and what it means to be striking without being overdone.

The String Cheese Incident: ‘A Song in My Head’

Musicians who mingle progressive bluegrass with the boldness of a jam-band sound are few and far between.

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Many bands attempt, and do so poorly, or simply never get the project off the ground.

However, The String Cheese Incident is marking 20 years of success with this mixture. The band’s latest project, “A Song in My Head,” was released April 29.

The album features reworked or reimagined prominent hits from past albums, highlighting their success with string instruments.

The band not only makes use of classical instrumentation like the piano and violin, but also puts heavy focus on slide guitars and lap guitars as well as the mandolin. The way Incident presents its traditional instruments makes the sound unique. It’s not simply average bluegrass that ends as quickly as it begins.

The band makes an honest effort in revitalizing the “jam” aspect of music by lengthening songs with dedicated and controlled performances.

Every ounce of soul is summoned in each song. Although there are no new entries on the album, the compilation of new renditions will wholly satisfy listeners.

The String Cheese Incident still thrives on the passion which made it a success in the first place. There is an array of depth to their melodies and each track is rooted in a whimsical ambition and refinement.

As old as they are, the songs play like new. With their age came wisdom, summoned uniquely though “A Song in My Head.”

Jake Saunders can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @saundersfj or at 536-3311 ext. 254.