As Marissa recently mentioned, we’re all about “pairing our roots back east with our new, southern selves.” There seems no better artist to do this than NYC’s Mike Savino, whose electrifying banjo-based sound lays the foundation for Tall Tall Trees. Through an assorted use of technique that add sonic texture to the thinly-stringed instrument, Tall Tall Trees has mastered an unparalleled sound, fitting snuggly between the worlds of bluegrass picking and eccentric rock.
The band possesses a grounded knowledge of pop-structure, lending a listenability to their tracks that has easily garnered a cult following and a presence on various media streams. But they don’t laze in their basic capacity to write sensible music; Savino and the group cut through the sounds of an upbeat American folk tune with elements of world-music flair, wisely choosing rhythmic and melodic modes borne out of both African and Brazilian landscapes. Their lively performances feature animated falsettos that twist and invert both notes and lyrics, contorting and conflating melodies until they land in a space that makes exact and perfect sense. Tall Tall trees personifies the definition of polyrhythmic; Tall Tall Trees stands pronounced as a rare band that understands how to translate the world of complex music theory into earthy compositions that simply make us smile.
Lockeland Springsteen 