Artist: Tara Lynne Band

Artist: Tara Lynne Band

Links: https://www.facebook.com/taralynneband

http://www.reverbnation.com/taralynneband/songs

Check the Facebook page, 'cause Tara Lynne Band has been influenced by Fleet Foxes and, um, The B-52s? How is that possible? Like the Foxes, they do build a sound all their own through artfully blended vocals (plus, Zac Gilbert's got a beard); but believe it or not, Tara Lynne Band actually has more to do with that singing, dancing party band from Athens, Georgia.

Before jumping to conclusions – that Tara Lynne Band's male-in-the-mix, Zac Gilbert, will be sing-shouting “Shake your honeybuns!” or “I'm a hot pants hot dog!” (like the inimitable Fred Schneider) – it helps to understand who the B-52s really are. Because for all their neon-lit “Love Shack[s]” and zany “Is That You Mo-Dean?” space travelogues [lyric: “Well, it had been 987 years in outer space time when I got back / Couldn't seem to find any of my friends to tell my interesting stories to”] – the B-52s just want to put lovers into nature. For example, “Dreamland” imagines a romantic setting decorated with no less than: flowered rivers, pure blue skies, perfumed wind, falling blossoms, towering trees, and green paths lined with vines and lilies. With “Topaz,” the lovers have their choice of: deep forests, moonlit sea, spinning starfishes, and singing blue dolphins.

No doubt it's this half of the B-52s' catalog that influenced Tara Lynne Band. Because there is a strong female lead (though closer to Stevie Nicks than to Kate Pierson), lush harmony vocals, lyrical romanticism, and yes the occasional oneness with nature (orchid, lily, rose, flower, tree, oak tree, ocean, river, wind, moon, shooting star, and field of willow and weed). But how Tara Lynne Band pulls it together is with chill organic instrumentation, which I could listen to all day long. And you can too.

*** The author of this review, Samuel Howard, plays the dhimay for the following band: http://youtu.be/tMS73-1kCr8