Porterfield leader Jacob Avenir says he named the debut album from this genre-straddling outfit Rome because, like the eponymous city, it wasn’t built in a day. Obviously not.
The varied instrumentation and multi-layered songs speak to detailed attention regarding the varied elements on this record, from Avenir’s voice and guitar to the liquid sax of Jared Yee – not to mention the processed Moog bass by JP Goldman.
Avenir is a grad of Berklee and has jazz bona fides, but Porterfield isn’t a jazz band. It’s not quite a rock band either. It’s more like an electronica-tinged indie outfit with jazz overtones. While that may sound pretentious, Porterfield isn’t. It’s just – odd.
Avenir the songwriter often challenges Avenir the singer. Sometimes, as on “Bed We Made,” he stretches the words waayyy out over several beats. “Amber” may be the best tune on Rome, as he really sings like he means it, before his multi-tracked yet quiet vocals offer a dynamic contrast.
“Christine” kicks off with some vibrato-drenched guitar before Jacob Avenir’s plaintive vocals take center stage. The vocal not-quite-harmonies of “Willow Tree” may make you hit the “next” button, and “Nocean” features some trumpet among the battling backgrounds. What all three lack – what most of these Porterfield tunes lack, actually – is a melodic center.
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