The Head and The Heart ::: photo by Robertsen Ashman

If you have ever liked a band we’ve suggested on Sound on the Sound … take our word again and listen to The Head and The Heart. In the process of writing the blog, we’ve been lucky enough to be introduced to and to introduce you to, too many bands to count. Few have ever excited us the way The Head and the Heart do. Their joyful brand of folk has captured our hearts and imagination since listen one … as well as dominating our ipods, playlists, personal recommendations and songs stuck in our head on repeat. We can tell you now, “Down in the Valley,” which we’ve probably listened to more than any other local song this year, will be perched very near the top of our Best of 2010 list. Ditto that for the full album.

The Head and the Heart sing of life’s greatest journeys with uncanny confidence, knowing and a genuine glow. They may be young and the band may be new, but they sing of leaving home, the trials, stumbles and exhilaration of finding yourself, the tumults of love and the inevitability of loss, all with a sage-like comprehension of our humanity. If you love bands drenched in pretense or that keep themselves metaphorically aloof, you’ll hate The Head and The Heart. This band is unadulterated joy and boundless hope for the future laid bare in three-part harmonies, bubbling bass lines and warm pop orchestration that embraces you in a full-on hug. They are a recipe for a palpable rise in your mood, an antidote to counter the poison of our fast-paced days filled with calculated and impersonal interactions. They are genuine, infectious, obscenely talented and the best new band that came out of nowhere that we’ve come across.

Unfortunately until today, all you could go on was our word, but as of right now you can happily take a listen for yourselves. As an exclusive to Sound on the Sound, the band has shared three of their favorite tracks from their forthcoming self-titled debut, out June 29th. The band is celebrating their record with a CD release show this Friday, June 25th, at Conor Byrne’s and an in-store performance just up the street at 3pm at Sonic Boom Records in Ballard the following day, June 26th. They’ll be supporting the Moondoggies at Mississipi studios in Portland on July 2nd.

We can’t encourage you enough: take a listen, buy a ticket for an upcoming show and please get to know our favorite up and coming local band.

The Head and The Heart album preview by theheadandtheheart