Slightly southern strumming and a Johnny Cash-esque baritone make up the sound of singer/songwriter Matt Kinder on his debut album, Seeds To Be Planted, Trees To Be Cut. Putting out the album and playing under the moniker The Parade Schedule has allowed Kinder to bring in a slew of accompanying musicians, who contribute by way of instruments including, but not limited to, horn, harmonica, percussion and strings. Kinder himself delivers sometimes solemn and sometimes sweet acoustic and old cowboy vocals.
Seeds To Be Planted is fourteen tracks that range everywhere from the methodic and slow to lighthearted and toe tapping. With songs like “Making a Way’ and ‘Fancy Cars’ we get an allusion to bands like Wilco and the Old 97’s, complete with infectious Ooh Oh Ooh’s and rhythmic strumming. Others, like the more subdued “Pony Up”, melodic “Thousand Oceans” and “Yes, You May Love Another” deliver a sense sad contemplativeness that most aim for but fail to accomplish with quite as much skill as Kinder. Setting up camp next to musicians like Iron and Wine with songs like “Dye Your Hair” and a more southern influenced Pedro the Lion with “Be Safe”, The Parade Schedule is an understated kind of music- the kind that is just as well suited for listening to out on a porch somewhere as it is for wandering through the sidewalks and streets of the city.
Charmers like “Old Guitar” and “Dancing” are relatable to anyone who’s ever been fond of romance, and tracks “EightLong Months” and “Orchestra” will appeal to those who enjoy the possibility for variation in production value.
As a whole, Seeds To Be Planted, Tress To Be Cut is a delightfully easy going album that we feel most people can acknowledge for it’s simply southern appeal. A little slow and gloomy here and there, sure, but is balanced well with it’s more optimistic and instrumentally varied tracks. Seeds To Be Planted, Trees To Be Cut is available through The Parade Schedule’s label, The Record Machine, and iTunes.
The Parade Schedule Online:
The Record Machine
Myspace
