Let's Be Still by The Head and The Heart

            The second full album from the Head and the Heart came abruptly into the charts as the band followed up their debut album, The Head and the Heart, three years earlier. After not making much of a stain in the indie charts, The Head and the Heart continue to delay to make their own identity. Yet another indie folk-rock band from Seattle, Washington, the Head and the Heart encompasses six members, with one female vocalist.

The Head and the Heart by The Head and the Heart was the first time we really got to know the band, with record-selling tracks including, "Rivers and Roads" and "Sounds like Hallelujah", it seems the band used just about every innovative song idea they had. As we anticipated what the quirky new band with the sheep mask and gargantuan woman album cover had to bring, we received a mix on unoriginality, repetitiveness and similarity in their second album Let’s Be Still.   

The Head and The Heart Album Cover

This beachy album is an easy listen, and it is no doubt a joy to blast in your car; it makes you feel as if you’re driving in some dramatic movie scene. Yet, put this album in a playlist with Of Monsters and Men, Vance Joy, or The Lumineers, you might not know when Let’s be Still is really playing. Through this thirteen track album, we learn little to none about the band. Their female vocalist, Charity Rose Thielen, makes herself much more apparent on Let’s be Still than she did The Head and the Heart, slightly altering the bands over all sound. Every member of the band definitely has musical talent that is perfect for a semi-known indie band, but in Let’s be Still, The Head and the Heart are trying just too hard to be exactly that semi-known, elite, and adored indie-band. 

Let's Be Still Album Cover

            Though let’s not “judge an album by its cover”, the very posed photograph of two band members is what they chose to resemble Let’s be Still; the whole essence of the album definitely does give off the “laying in grass, watching the clouds, and not really listening to the album because you are so lost in your thoughts” vibe. Many of the tracks included in the album embody just that; the track “Summertime”, has about four alternating lines that is easy to tune out and just have as background music. When “Summertime” is over, the lyrics “Summertime / I’ll make you mine” will undoubtedly run through your head, and your heart, for a couple hours. Hopefully “Summertime” was not where you stopped though, the following track “Shake” is one of Let’s be Still’s pride and glories.

            “Shake” starts off with a strong beat, much like that of Artic Monkey’s sound, and it is a song about beginnings and ends of a relationship, memories, and includes an analogy of nature and wind in comparison a deceased relationship. “Shake” is a song from the album that really shows who The Head and The Heart is, as does the music video for the song.

                      Since the video is just a montage of the band recording, traveling, and playing in a field, by the sixth track we really get a look into The Head and the Heart's essence and what they are like as a band. The combination of Charity Thielen and Josiah Johnson voices are strong and melodic to the lyrics “And the memories we made / Will never be lost, no / And the look on your face / We both knew the cost / But the wind, yes, the wind keeps howling” and “Even if it was a mistake / I can’t forget your face / Even if it was just a day / You won’t forget the one / Who’s making you shake”. The song kicks off with a bass drum and clap which transport you to the middle of a crowd at a euphoric arena; you can imagine, in the arena, The Head and the Heart opening for some well-known indie band that they hope to one day be. The shake in the song is a relatable one to a wide audience; a song with breakup and mistakes as the context, it's hard to see how it couldn't be a hit.

            The next winner song on Let’s be Still is their namesake itself, “Let’s be Still”. Although a little different from their normal sound, “Let’s be Still” has a definite happy-go-lucky feel. The acoustic guitar, simple drum beat, and electronic keys give this simple song the vibe of exactly what the song speaks to: “Just for a moment, let’s be still” and “You can get lost in the music for hours, honey, / You can get lost in a room. / We can play music for hours and hours / But the sun’ll be coming up soon”. The voices fade off at the end, and it’s at the last beat of the music, your consciousness ceases to exist; if you’re lying in bed at night, the last beat of the music will commence your sleep.

                                                           Live Acoustic "Let's Be Still"

            Over all, Let’s Be Still was a success for The Head and the Heart despite their lack of originality and variety. The band has yet to leave their “opening-act” stage, and with their recent work, will probably always be an opening-act band. Though The Head and the Heart has not become a headlining band from Let’s Be Still, there’s no denying that even though they’re not lyrical geniuses or even have much personality portrayed in their music, Let’s Be Still is an enjoyable album including talented musicians on each track.