Family of the Year

Through the Trees (Washashore)

By Lily Hansen
Published: March 26th, 2010 | 7:00am

Family of the Year, a closely-knit crew of misfits who share living quarters in L.A., could not have chosen a more fitting moniker. The sextet is, first and foremost, an inseparable clan of friends who, taking the DIY route, produce their eclectic, folk-pop songs on their own Washashore label. After a frenzied year of touring with dream-pop ensemble Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, the release of their first LP Songbook, and a rotation of band members, FOTY’s latest EP displays their fearlessness in musical experimentation and revealing unabashedly candid snapshots of their lives.

While the Through the Trees EP is a throwback to classic folk music, it is also an electrifyingly modern album as it varies from singer-songwriter styles to reggae-inspired, bass-heavy tracks (“The Barn”). Typical themes of lost love and deep-rooted insecurities gain a greater momentum through the Fleetwood Mac-inspired intermingling of lead singers Joe Keefe and Meredith Sheldon’s vocals. (This is best illustrated on the stellar “Princess & the Pea,” which also features respected folk singer Willy Mason.) The album’s wildcard “Hero” is also it’s strongest—an acoustic, heartfelt melody sung solely by Keefe and perhaps hinting at his break-up with former lead singer Vanessa Jeanne Long.

Avoiding the one trick pony label by experimenting with multiple musical styles is what prevents FOTY from dissipating in the enormous pool of ambitious, young musicians. Bringing their easy, breezy vibe and feel-good tunes when they tour across the U.S. this spring (in a van appropriately named Buttercup), one only wishes their family was as cool as this one.

Family of the Year official site

Family of the Year MySpace