Seattle’s Hey Marseille released sophomore album Lines We Trace (released by Onto Entertainment – Thirty Tigers) on March 5 and all I can say is Hey Marseilles — pull at my heartstrings a little more, won’t you? Okay, that’s not all I can say but it’s probably the most succinct thing I can say that describes the record. This is a cohesive album that moves the band from a cadre in the indie-folk collective to a more innovative and lasting group.

Lines We Trace is a mature and buoyant record for the band – a sextect include cello, viola and other orchestral instruments. It’s not just because the band has these more classical string instruments, but each track sounds as if it were written as sheet music that was pointedly crafted and executed.  This isn’t to say it lacks an impassioned spontaneity, but rather the real selling point of record is in its musical construction. 

While the sentiment of lines like “I would trade 10,000 days for one more hour with you” (“Tides”) isn’t anything particularly innovative, the earnest way in which vocalist Matt Bishop sings them just breaks your heart; he transforms these otherwise sappy one-liners into poetic observations that makes you momentarily reminisce about your own too-fleeting past love before refocusing on the song itself.

Not just in these lovelorn ballads, but lyrics throughout the record seem to touch on relatable whether it is that distant romantic or the Seattleite who shares the complaint that “they say the coffee here is nice but no one says hello” (“Looking Back”).  They’re honest lyrics without making too big a deal of themselves, sharing the attention with an equally talented voice. 

Per usual, I’m a total sucker for albums that have a well-intentioned order to their track listings. The ebbs and flows of an album that are dictated by the track order can make it listenable as a whole, rather than a few new songs from a band you happen to casually enjoy. In this, Lines We Trace, excels. Orchestral interlude, “Madrona” (which is a truly beautiful piece of music on its own), preludes “Hold Your Head,” the album’s catchiest and currently most radio-played song. The tracks can independently exist, but together they necessitate listening to the album as a whole.

There we go; I’ve managed to say more than demand that Hey Marseilles pulls at my heartstrings a little more. It’s a great album so I just couldn’t help myself!

You can purchase Lines We Trace on Hey Marseilles’ official website and check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp.

Photo credit: Martin Watson