Secondstar “Teeth” EP Review

Liam Carey is a born traveler. The child of parents from both sides of the Atlantic, he has lived in Europe and the States, and has practically circumnavigated the globe on planes, trains, and automobiles. So it may come as some surprise that his music doesn’t have more international influence. I mean Zach Condon spent something like two months in Europe and it pretty much defines his sound, right? (A sound I happen to love by the way.) Carey’s music hews pretty singularly to American roots. When you really think about it though, what was American folk but an amalgamation of various traditional songs and stories from cultures the world over, melted into a distinct style. In Carey’s Teeth EP, recorded under the name “Secondstar,” you can still catch glimpses of folk’s roots, from the Irish cadence of “Kites & Arrows” to the hints of Eastern European brass in “Great Machine.” Overall though it is much more in the tradition of American roots than what came before it. The EP is dominated by banjos, acoustic guitars, and whistling; the melodies are very much of the Western variety. And what lovely melodies they are. The carefully layered vocal harmonies of “Tied to the Mast,” the a capella finish to “Ravens,” the delicate banjo plucking of “Pieces;” they all flow together to make a very pleasurable listen. Carey may have three different hometowns listed on his MySace page but hey, two of them are American and at least for the time being, here is where his music seems rooted to stay.