Songs For Us To Sing

Paean is the type of band that gives sound techs nightmares. With six members constantly juggling positions and instruments, it can be hard to get a handle on the live mix; let alone trying to figure out what the Fort Collins band is supposed to sound like with all the guitars, extra drummers, trumpets, and violins. The new Songs For Us To Sing at least gives a good starting point to work from, probably best summarized by the phrase “like Bright Eyes.” Singer-guitarist Dave Maddocks’ ancient-teenager delivery is enough to lock the comparison, and even the band’s trumped up roots-rock is barely able to shake it.

Despite all the strings and brass (also banjo, accordion, and cello) that Paean makes use of on Songs, it somehow avoids any big orchestral flourishes. Its tunes are modestly stripped down, like those early days in Bright Eyes when Conor Oberst was still struggling with his guitar as much as his suicidal tendencies. This simplicity serves the band well. Anna Maddocks’ violin adds just enough twang to the boot-stomping rhythms of “Floyd Brown,” and “Honey, Where’ve You Been?” tackles a minuet time signature that alludes to Eastern European music without committing to an immigrant-folk vibe. “Most Comfortable Of Graves” and “Free Inside A Plan” dig deep into folky basics, even as Paean piles on extra instrumentation.

As convoluted as Paean’s songs might seem onstage, Songs For Us To Sing is a reticent salt-of-the-earth release. And though the band might still have some growing pains with all the “like Bright Eyes” snap judgments, its largely humble, rootsy sound is a keen insight that not every overcrowded band in town wants to be the next orchestral-rock sensation. Take note, sound techs.