We Are Voices

We Are Voices releases the first installment of Year

Today marks the start of a year-long journey that quartet We Are Voices will embark on. The whole project, appropriately titled Year, will take twelve months to complete. Once every quarter, the band will release a few singles and an accompanying music video. Four shows a year, four separate releases all feeding into Year. Today, Year I was released.
 
The two tracks embody all of the classic We Are Voices elements with a new twist.  The band builds its songs with clean drums; no distortions, no tricks, just a clean and clear kit. The bass is ample, pertinent, and easy to pick out. The guitars are in perfect harmony, which creates an ethereal and dynamic tune. The vocals are effortlessly spoken yet ultimately at the front of your attention.  
 
Year I starts with “Tear Me Apart,” a classic song in the We Are Voices style, but with a hint of a twist. The chorus that chimes in several times throughout the song (as choruses tend to do) is outrageously catchy. An indie-pop hit waiting to happen. The perfect lull of the song mixed with the heavy tones of the chorus mash up perfectly throughout the four-minute duration. The accompanying music video is for the same song, layering each band member on top of the other as they chime in. Starting with guitarist Carson Land on guitar, the flickering of the video hints at the motif of a flipbook. Guitarist Lucas Larson comes in, his images super-imposed over Land’s. Joshua Greenlee breaks in on drums, followed by Eric Baldwin on the bass. The video perfectly displays the layers that We Are Voices incorporate in their music.
 
The second, and final song of Year I is called “Disappear.” This song heavily features the piano, not a stranger to We Are Voices, but a pleasant visitor. Again, this song features an outstanding chorus that adds layer over layer, in a mellow, not empowering way. The verses are rather stripped down in the beginning, at least. The song structure is one that builds on top of itself rather than repeating. Encompassing music themes hold the song together.
 
These two singles have made the two-year lull in the band’s discography worth the wait. The fact that in another three months we can experience some more new singles from We Are Voices is very exciting as well. Year II should be out by October.
 
--Steven Ervay
 

Steven is an all-around awesome guy who works tirelessly for the KC music community. 

Tear Me Apart from w e . a r e . v o i c e s on Vimeo.

 

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July 01, 2014    

The Deli Readers' Kansas City Artists of 2012: #3 - We Are Voices

(Photo by Sandy Rushing)

Rounding out The Deli readers’ top 3 is We Are Voices, an atmospheric indie rock quartet whose songwriting continues to grow with each release. The band’s debut release, What Makes Us So Alive?, peaked the interest of indie lovers across the area, while its second album Fighting Fires established its reputation as a polished Kansas City mainstay. Its anticipated third album Tread Lightly (here's our review),  which was released last month, garnered rave reviews inside and outside of Kansas City. The group includes Lucas Larson, Eric Baldwin, Joshua Greenlee, and Carson Land.
 
Today it was announced that We Are Voices will be among over 40 KC-area bands featured at MidCoast Takeover at SXSW this year. This will be the band’s third showcase at MidCoast.
 
Note: We Are Voices placed second in the Open Submissions poll for emerging Kansas City band.
 
This Saturday, January 26, We Are Voices is playing at the Jackpot with Grenadina and Forrester.
 
 
January 23, 2013    

Kansas City Best of 2012 Readers and Fans Poll is over! Dollar Fox wins!

Deli Readers,

The Deli Kansas City's Best of 2012 Readers and Fans' Poll for local emerging artists is over, thanks to all those who cast their vote in support of the emerging local bands and artists in our list of nominees. Congrats to Dollar Fox (pictured) for being The Deli Readers' Best Kansas City Artist of 2012.

Kudos also to Gentleman Savage and We Are Voices who placed in 2nd and 3rd position. The Reader's Poll full results are here, check out the top 10 below:

 
ARTIST
VOTES
 
1
Dollar Fox
 467
2
Gentleman Savage
451
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3
We Are Voices
329
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4
Bears and Company
189
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5
Cadillac Flambe
162
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6
Me Like Bees
160
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7
Clairaudients
141
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8
Shes A Keeper
120
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9
Dream Wolf
119
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10
Attic Wolves
86
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We'll soon publish the final overall composite chart, which will also include the point nominees accumulated from the jurors and Deli writers' votes, and will crown The Deli's Best Emerging Kansas City Artist of 2012.

Stay tuned!

The Deli's Staff

January 22, 2013    

Deli Best of KC Area 2012 for Emerging Artists - Submission Results!

We've tallied the results for the Open Submissions stage of our KC Area Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. All of the submissions were ranked by Deli Editors from other scenes, and the list of acts that have advanced to our Readers’/Fans’ Poll phase are below. We will also be releasing the list of nominees chosen by our local "scene expert" jurors very soon. 

Thanks to all of the talented artists who submitted their music to us. We hope to have a larger pool of entries next year!

Total submissions from the KC area scene: 32

Qualified to the final phase of the Best of Kansas City Poll:

1. Man Bear – 7.8 (out of 10)
2. We Are Voices – 7.5
3. Gentleman Savage – 7.5
4. Gemini Revolution – 7.3
5. The Elders – 7.3
6. Making Movies – 7.2
7. Attic Wolves – 7.2

Honorable Mentions: Hipshot Killer, The Empty Spaces, Dream Wolf, Radkey, Dollar Fox

Jurors: Dawn Reed (Deli Washington DC), Gracie Gutman (Deli SF), Paolo De Gregorio (Deli NYC).  

The Deli Staff

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January 07, 2013    

Album review: We Are Voices - Tread Lightly

One day, We Are Voices will consistently fill rooms. Now to be clear, we are not currently talking about the recordBar, Riot Room or even Beaumont Club numbers anymore. No, this band is destined to sell tickets. If there is a single thing that can be taken away from a spin of Tread Lightly, their new full-length, it is that they were born to pack arenas. With an atmospheric aura and energetic approach to songwriting, their achieving anything else would be a disappointment.

Yeah, I said it.
 
Take “The Sun,” the album’s opening track, for example. With elements of soft, touching vocals placed flawlessly over an epic swell of musical peaks and valleys, the band displays a rather educated understanding of the proper use of sound. The solos and guitar work on the track are spot on and brilliantly designed, creating an environment worth every second of time and every cent spent in purchasing the cut. You’re five minutes into a disk and you’ve already recouped your expenses. Take a note kids, that’s just good economics.
 
The band doesn’t stop there. Track for track, the album shines. It easily could find itself highlighted as a sleeper on countless end-of-the-year lists, both locally and on a national circuit. Make no mistake; Tread Lightly has chops.
 
Whether it is the straightforward elements of songs like “Fighting Fires,” the alt-country influences of “Love Will Follow,” or the catchy and tricky technology-based hooks of “Difference,” the album possesses an addictive additive that will leave you not only with cravings, but diabetes. There is something buried in the mix for everyone. “End is Coming” somehow reminds me of both Bush and martinis at a jazz bar at the same time. Other tracks could easily be marketed to fans of Manchester Orchestra, Explosions in the Sky, and Mae. The album makes moves faster than a cougar on a first date. With mass appeal and the ability to transcend genre lines, Tread Lightly should have no issue finding its way into the hands of the right people.
 
In my humble opinion, the key track on this beautiful album is “’54-’55.” Sparkling with computerized noise blended with haunting and heart-shattering vocals over simple guitar and chimes highlights an element of songwriting often associated with an international element of the industry. Though the lyrics and music cut out about halfway through the track before shifting and sputtering into electronic noise for the better portion of two minutes, the song manages to mirror elements of song composition that the likes of Sigur Ros or Radiohead might attempt. If I do say so myself, that’s pretty good company to be associated with.
But you don’t have to take my word for it—the mixes speak for themselves. If you can spin this album once and tell me it hasn’t moved you, I’ll buy you a beer at the next show we attend. I believe that strongly in this release.
 
You should too, Kansas City. It has the potential to put your beautiful music scene back on the map, Vagrant Records style.
 
We Are Voices is The Deli KC’s December artist of the month! The band includes:
Lucas Larson – vocals, guitar, piano
Eric Baldwin – bass, vocals, piano
Joshua Greenlee – drums, percussion
Carson Land – guitars, vocals, synth, aux

 

--Joshua Hammond

After stints drumming for both The Afternoons and Jenny Carr and the Waiting List in the Lawrence/Kansas City music scene, Joshua Hammond found his footing as a music journalist, launching the national publication Popwreckoning. After running the show as Editor in Chief for 6 years, Hammond stepped away from the reigns to freelance for other publications like Under The Gun Review and High Voltage Magazine. This shift allowed the adequate amount of time for him to write passionately, allow the Kansas City Royals to break his heart on a daily basis and spoon his cats just enough that they don't shred his vinyl. 

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December 16, 2012