Download two new tracks from Liz & the Lost Boys, “February” and “The Forest & the Farmer” (playing Kung Fu Necktie on 12/11)

Local baroque pop group Liz & the Lost Boys are following up their self-titled debut LP with “February” and “The Forest & the Farmer,” two songs that continue to broaden the scope of Liz Ciavolino’s harp playing in a full-band set up.  Though it could seem obvious and pigeonholing to compare the new tracks to the songs of Joanna Newsom, the theatricality of “February” and “The Forest & the Farmer” harkens to Newsom’s own quirky vocal and lyrical style, and the fact that there is a harp on the tracks has almost nothing to do with it.  The fact that a harp is used on these songs further proves that it is not as stuffy as it’s often thought to be – it’s a viable and accessible instrument that can be surprising and fun (as on these songs) or, as Mary Lattimore has shown this year, pensive and experimental, and Joanna Newsom is not the only one mastering it. Stream and download the two singles below, and then revisit the band’s Key Studio Session from earlier this year here.  Tickets and information for their show at Kung Fu Necktie on Wednesday night can be found here.