Accent: Five bands, five genres: Local bands release albums

This double truck was my baby. I assigned writers to cover five bands that released albums in Feb and review the albums. I wrote about Mother Falcon on the right. Layout Editor Elizabeth put the page together. Good job team.

Originally posted at Accent.

Below are my contributions

Mother Falcon feature
Mother Falcon isn't the typical rock band. Instead of four members that each take on the role of guitarist, bassist, drummer and vocalist, the band members instead consist of a handful of classically-trained musicians playing classical instruments such as the violin, the cello, and the double bass.

However, recording a full-length album with the almost-20 members that form Mother Falcon can prove to be a challenge.

"Mixing was a challenge," said Matt Puckett, a member of Mother Falcon. Puckett plays the saxophone and glockenspiel as well as sings.

"You have to balance... There's 19 people playing, and there's more instruments. Then you have to balance all the vocals too. There's like 20 something tracks (per song)," said Yun Du, one of the violinists.

"Oh there's more than that," said Matt Puckett. "We're looking at some of the songs that probably had 34 tracks to mix together which is a lot."

With that many members in a band, there was careful planning on when was the right time to have everyone together for the recording process.

"There's always that sweet spot beginning of August, where people haven't left for school yet, but they just got back from summer vacation. That's where it has to be done," said Du.

Instead of recording each instrument one track at a time, the band decided to record each song live with everyone performing their parts at once. While it could have been easier with scheduling if they didn't go this route, Mother Falcon wanted to capture the ensemble feel that comes out during a live performance.

"I really wanted everybody to able to play together at the same time because so much of our music is dynamic," said Puckett. "It involves watching cues from other people. When we recorded, it was just recorded in a church. We were in a circle just like we are in rehearsals. So we look at each other... Whereas when we're playing in the headphones to tracks that are already recorded, it's, I feel, like a less dynamic experience typically."

Now that the album is finished and ready for the masses, the band is preparing for their album release on Feb. 26 at the Central Presbyterian Church. This is the same church the album was recorded in.

"It should be pretty cool. It'll be a rare experience. I hope it'll be a rare experience for a lot of people, because it'll sound pretty much how it sounds on the record. That's the goal," said Puckett.

Alhambra album review
The moment the strings swell into the opening track of Mother Falcon's Alhambra, the listener is immediately swept away from the notorious rock scene. Rather than standing in a grungy, beer-smelling venue, the album's live recording brings people into the comfortable seats in an open auditorium.

Mother Falcon uses their classical music education to bring this genre into the ears of all music fans. It's high art for the common people. It merges traditional orchestra movements with today's indie rock music.

Instead of electric guitars and bass guitars, the band uses violas and stand-up basses as well as other instruments (including an accordion) to form the foundation of the music.

Nick Gregg and Claire Puckett take turns sharing vocal duties as their voices lightly float over the tunes stepping away from the spotlight. In Mother Falcon, every musician works as an ensemble letting the music be the main focus.

The album isn't perfect though. With about 20 members, the band is very limited in the amount of time allowed for rehearsing and recording the songs for the album. While the quality of music falls into an incredibly higher standard than most bands in Austin, there are several moments when just a little bit more time to get that note just right would really make Alhambra pretty close to perfection. However, it's those small imperfections that give this up-and-coming band character.