Quiet Company - Shine Honesty

Quiet Company
Shine Honesty
(Northern Records)

Quiet Company's style is mellow, and singer Taylor Muse's voice has an almost airy quality that is by no means overlooked when accompanied by his delicate piano playing in Shine Honesty's 13 tracks. The transition from one song to the next is seamless, and almost unrecognizable.

The discs first track, "How Many Times Do You Want To Be In Love", is a question you may have never found the courage to answer. The music swells and the mood lightens just as you find yourself comfortable enough to do so. "Fashionable" shows the regrets of a failed relationship as Muse searches for something familiar to comfort him when all seems lost. He then learns, "Life is what you make it/Because love is what you've made of it/And I made a friend." At times you can be your biggest enemy and it's then that you have to light a fire under yourself. "Tie Your Monster Down" says perfectly "You've got to raise your voice sometimes to get things done/I'm not the monster here/You've got to break some legs sometimes to get things done." "So Graceful" is what every girl wants to have written for her, a sweet and simple reminder of the love you've always known to be there for you. "Circumstances" seems to have the band catching their breathe, a power pop tune, and the most forceful of the album (it's what I've known while listening that they are capable of all along). It almost seems too easy for them to come out of their shells.

Every song stands on it's own and tells of love, reassurance, and the excitement that comes with being on your own for the first time. While Shine Honesty is filled with melodic hope, it lacks the ability to pick up the tempo just as the song starts to build itself up, it seems to cave in on itself. Their strength is in the uninhibited lyrics, and their knack for lush, beautifully sculpted arrangements. It almost seems as if Muse is afraid he might break what it is he's built so meticulously.

The sense of a love so young is felt throughout the disc, and it becomes apparent that the songs are meant for the one who has his heart. All in all Shine Honesty is a love letter, a declaration of who and what got them to where they are today. You can almost tell that Muse just wants to get everything right, like an artist trying to capture a moment perfectly through painting - however this time, musically. — Naimah Holmes

UPCOMING DATES
Oct 5 @ Pianos --- New York, NY
Oct 6 @ Cafe Napoli's --- Watertown, CT
Oct 8 @ The Middle East Club --- Cambridge, MA
Oct 10 @ Arlene's Grocery --- New York, NY
Oct 12 @ Appalachian Brewing Co. --- Harrisburg, PA
Oct 13 @ Gooski's --- Pittsburgh, PA
Oct 14@ The Nite Owl --- Dayton, OH
Oct 15 @ The Poison Room --- Cinncinatti, OH
Oct 18 @ The Boro --- Murfreesboro, TN
Oct 19 @ the Nook --- Huntsville, AL
Oct 21 @ The Capture Studio Cafe --- Tuscaloosa, AL
Oct 22 @ Swell-o-Venue --- Jackson, MS
Oct 23 @ Cactus Jack's --- Ruston, LA
Oct 24 @ The Jackrabbit Lounge --- Shreveport, LA
Nov 8 @ The Darkside Lounge --- Dallas, TX
Nov 9 @ The Spot --- Tyler, TX
Nov 11 @ Stubb's BBQ --- Austin, TX

MySpace | Official Site | Northern Records