Take it Easy

There’s a song called “City of Angels” from The Head and The Heart’s third release, Signs of Light, and the album’s cover image shows the band lounging around a pool on a sunny afternoon.

All this seems to signal a shift for the Seattle musicians away from the delicate, cloudy indie-folk sound they came up under — the same sound popularized by contemporaries like Blitzen Trapper, Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons.

There are still acoustic instruments, high hippie harmonies and heart-in-your-throat choruses aimed both for campfire and arena audiences. But, in a word, The Head and The Heart sounds lighter but no less overly sincere, occasionally precious and, at worst, just a little contrived.

The new track “Dreamers” snakes along to a pop-soul shuffle, “City of Angels” jets down a sunny SoCal freeway and “Oh My Dear” sounds like Jeff Buckley.

And throughout the album there’s a high-gloss retro-pop overlay, like that Instagram filter, making all your photos look like bittersweet sunlit memories from the ’70s.

The Head and the Heart plays with Declan McKenna 7 pm Sunday, Oct. 9, at McDonald Theatre; $39.50 adv., $42.50 door. All-ages. — William Kennedy

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!