The Pace

The Pace, the second album to be put out by the band Biv and the Mnemonics is an album of indie/rock/folk songs that will make you relax. I say that it will make you relax because the songs have a mellow and easy beat to them. When I listened to the album I felt like I should be sitting out on a porch in a rocking chair while looking out on some wide-open scenic landscape. Well, that would be with one of the songs, with others I felt like I should be at some campfire while the band played their folk style music for a group of friends and as I looked around with me sitting on my log stump I would see a few people talking, some playing in the fire, some focused on the band, and some dancing. It's that homey, close sound this album puts out and it's that sound that I like on this album.
Listening to The Pace for that first time was kind of tough because I really did want to just sit back and forget that I had a 40-hour a week job, bills to pay, and stress that comes along with life. Replacing all that would have been these easy, fun, upbeat songs being played that would be all that I heard and all that I would focus on. Sadly, there is no song that will have the power to make all that happen but The Pace does do a good job in allowing me to have a moment of just listening to a song and doing nothing else. These songs are not complicated, the beats are simple, and with one song there's just lyrics of dah da dah being sung. However it's partly because of how the songs are simple and are not trying to sound like they have found some new way to play a song or some new mysterious musical key on a guitar cord.
Biv and the Mnemonics have a good sense for harmonies and it can be heard in their songs. It's not an amazing sounding album, it's not one that would make it stand out above all other albums, but it is one that was enjoyable to listen to. The vocals are easy, the lyrics are understandable, and the melodies make for a good song. I would have liked there to have been a few songs that had a bit more energy to them but the mellow sound this album has don't take away from the overall experience of listening to it. These songs seem to be meant for a more relaxed listening experience rather than making their listeners bounce around a room and they do a decent job in creating them. My real complaint is that the songs don't do anything to perk up my mood but when I do need to relax these would make for a good start in getting there.