The Key Studio Sessions: Oldermost

Philly five-piece Oldermost has been bubbling under the surface for a couple years now, from their impressive debut EP to the more recent string of singles, the “Close to the Fire” digital 7″ and the stand-alone track “To Seed.” Their sound is gorgeous and expansive, blending traditional songwriting motifs and blue-eyed soul harmonies with an uplifting and emphatically modern guitar rock attack. I’ve called these guys rootsy in the past, but I admit that it short-sells what they do: Oldermost is a band with a surplus of texture and ambition, one that doesn’t recognize the self-imposed barriers you typically find in the Americana scene. A few things to take note of in their Key Studio Sessions set: Geoff Bucknum’s swirling space guitar and his brother Bradford’s howling vocals on “Close to the Fire.” The way “To Seed” starts out like a delicate showtune and ends like a snarling shredder. And even though “What if I Run” doesn’t fly as far from the rock and roll coop, its nuanced bits of instrumental drone and Stephen Robbins’ subtle thunder drums push it towards the edge. Stream and download four performances of songs from the band’s forthcoming LP I Live Here Now, due out in early 2014, including their latest single “When I Know”; the song, recorded with Jon Low at Miner Street Studios, made its formal debut on Bandcamp today, while a music video for “Once I Left” showed up on YouTube. Check that out below, and look for more from the new album with the coming of the new year.