​Sons of Town Hall (from the album Of Ghosts and Gods

​Sons of Town Hall (from the album Of Ghosts and Gods

​Sons of Town Hall (from the album Of Ghosts and Gods available as a self-release) (by Bryant Liggett)
Don’t be fooled by the size. The duo Sons of Town Hall are in fact a pair, but they remain a pair that can prove less is more as David Berkely and Ben Parker do a lot with a little. Lush, layered, and warm, Of Ghosts and Gods is a dramatic release that dabbles in sea shanty Folk and on-the-road acoustics, a record that’s plays as both a score and a concept album.

There’s the album opener, “Gods”, a ballad that begins with piano before the orchestral elements gently stroll in, setting a tone that’s soft and floating. The Sea Shanty Folk comes alive via “How to Build a Boat”, Sons of Town Hall’s vocals coming off as both dramatic and dire, singing instructions for building a boat, conveying escape by singing ‘we’ll break free, this time’. File under Folk but this is so much more, heard in a cut like “Whalebone” where their brand of Folk comes with a subtle push to a world that’s hauntingly Psychedelic. “The Rocky Shores of England” feature lovely harmonies scatted more than sung, and “Antarctica” is glorious in its gradual growth, the two voices of Berkeley and Parker expanding to a full choir. 
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A quick listen might reveal simplicity, but the layered vocals and sly instrumentational fills reveal more. “Mutiny” returns to that seafaring vibe while a line like ‘all I need is the open road and my banjo, I’ll be fine’ from “In My Arms Once More” shows off a catch a ride road cut. Of Ghosts and Gods is an album of surprises, a warm dose of experimental Folk that will play to the side of you that digs on literature as much as lyrics. It’s simple; the more you listen, the more you’ll like. (by Bryant Liggett)
Listen and buy the music of Sons of Town Hall from AMAZON
For more information and purchase options, please visit the Sons of Town Hall website