A Word About The Simple Pleasures Of The New Stolen Jars Record

The new album from Stolen Jars, Kept, didn't quite grab me until I put it on one recent very foggy morning. As the vocals and melodies of Cody and Molly filled the car, I felt really content and unusually calm for someone driving in to a busy office at 7 AM.

What made me a fan of this band was that nothing is really overdone and things don't get too precious. It seems to me that this sort of music could have led to something dangerously precious. But, as you can see from the video below, Cody and Molly apply expert musicianship to stuff like "Folded Out" and other cuts on Kept. The title cut is jaunty and the spry "Wreaths Rakes" plots a course somewhere between early James and Michael Hedges. "Another November" nods in the direction of pioneers like Jane Siberry even as the plucked guitar figures dance under the vocals. If "Waves" brings to mind something jazzy -- Tuck and Patti anyone? -- then "Wheel" is a tiny bit more contemplative.

Kept by Stolen Jars isn't going to change the world of rock with its force and fury but...that's ok, isn't it? In the right moment, at the right hour, this positively charming music will fill you up with a lot of warmth. And even I'm not too churlish to admit that that's a nice proposition.

Follow Stolen Jars on official Facebook page. Kept is out in a few days.