Alright You Restless

VINYL FORMAT. AgesandAges is not a cult. Sure, the seven-piece Portland group exudes enough electric joy that it feels like a big tent revival. And sure, one finds oneself using church words to describe the band's sound: a powerful, life-affirming and exploratory blend of lessons learned, set ablaze with a buoyant, unbridled optimism. And yeah, there are frequent lyrical references to voluntary seclusion, communal living and existence 'under the radar' littered throughout the band's debut, Alright You Restless. But amidst all this talk of willful isolation comes an element of the band that is hard to overlook: AgesandAges invites you to its ranks. In live performances, as gorgeous vocal harmonies rise victoriously to refuse the skepticism and irony that terrorize our daily lives, the venue becomes the commune, and the audience is given an opportunity to lower its guard. Everybody shares in the ecstatic energy that sets AgesandAges apart from most of its less vibrant Northwest contemporaries. Amazingly, the band found a way to translate its stomping, relentless live show seamlessly to disc. Recorded in eight days with producer Kevin Robinson (Viva Voce, Blue Giant) at Amore!phonics, the secret was keeping things live: performing its songs as a full unit and singing together into a shared microphone.