The Sours - The Sours

It’s this wonderful combination of both Indie Rock and Folk music and for Sasha Markovic in which I was blown away from his debut work on Yagull’s Films sees him going into an acoustic approach. And with help from Sarah Schrift on Lead Vocals and Guitar, and Kana Kamitsubo on Piano, sees this wonderful line-up called The Sours, and their debut album, sees them go into some directions and elements between the sounds of Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine, and Laura Veirs flown in.

At times it feels like there were songs that could have been used in films like, The Royal Tenenbaums and Juno to name a few. But each composition on this album, it has a melodic, emotional, and catchy boundary that just makes you feel that hits you right at home at times. And Sarah’s voice is so gentle, beautiful, and soft as if she is comforting the listener as Sasha’s guitar helps out to give it that warmth sunrise for a beginning to start a new day and a new beginning by relieving the stress and not letting yourself down. And experiencing five centerpieces that will make you have an understanding on The Sours music.

Songs like Wish, has these moving Piano chords that Kana does, and the lyrics dealing with finding out on who you are throughout the lyrics and it has these wonderful homage to Dave Davies’ lyrics and almost straight out of the sessions for The Kinks Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneyground, Volume One while Seawitch has this down-home folky yet country-styled sound that is perfect for snapping your fingers and tapping your feet to dance and sing.

Then there’s the emotional beauty opener, Everwas which Sasha is almost fingerpicking through the notes as Sarah sings with such amazement on lyrics like “Pour another feeling/Screaming outside screaming/ I don’t call your name/ I don’t know you now/ I’m the same as I ever was.” She captures the essence on remembering the past and people trying to remember whom their friends were, but they don’t as they start a new chapter with starting a family and not looking back on the present and focusing the future.

Gnt offers Kana to go into a wonderful piano melody as Sasha plays both the rhythm and lead parts on his acoustic guitar and tapping the beats as almost as if the guitar was almost a percussion instrument. You could tell there’s almost a reminiscent of the Bryter Layter-era of Nick Drake’s music and the double-vocals that Sarah does is really spot on and just makes you want to travel to different parts between the States and Europe.

The closing track, Eeget, is a chilling composition. And it is almost as it was recorded inside a deep, dark empty cavern with the water dripping down as the spotlight is on Sarah and giving this deeply yet ominous piece and she nails it on the notes and it is simply stunning as if its almost like the dawn approaching for a chance to see light for freedom.

So far, this is my 9^th time listening to The Sours debut album and who knows where they will go to next, but this is soon going to be one of my favorite albums that I've listened to and it is worth checking out for fans of the Indie Rock/Folk sound and it is a must listen to album from start to finish. It is shown that Sasha has come a long way from the Yagull debut and the road is hopefully ready for him to see where he between his projects with that and The Sours will take him to.