The Young Republic Reviewed
The Young Republic
Modern Plays
(self-released)
Orchestral folk rockers The Young Republic are an assembly of nine Boston music school students, drawing an eerie parallel to Belle & Sebastian.
While B&S originated to complete a final project, this nonet have less academic aspirations. Wearing a number of influences on their sleeves (the title track is an almost exact approximation of Dinosaur Jr. meeting Bright Eyes), Modern Plays is altogether too organic and happy-to-be-here to be of cold contrivance. Occasionally, the thinness of their repertoire comes into play (“Marissa’s Lament” will have you pining for an Anthrax album) and you’d like to snap Katherine Neis’ flute off in her mouth, but the life in the recording bolsters even the slowest tracks (“You Move Like The Flowers”). The vigor in “She Comes And Goes” features The Young Republic at their most inspired; a steel cage grudge match against Chicago’s Scotland Yard Gospel Choir should be in the offing.
— Steve Forstneger
Click here to download “Blue Skies.”
