With only a guitar, a drum kit, and the occasional piano or organ, the music of Minneapolis duo Now, Now Every Children may be sparse and minimalist, but there is no shortage of flare or gusto. Cacie Dalager and Brad Hale have mastered their craft to the extent that it becomes difficult to distinguish whether Hale's pulsing beats or Dalager's magnetic voice is the driving force of their new album, Cars. Instead, both parts seem inextricably woven together to create a relationship in which neither half falls prey to the other or is in its control.
Interstingly, both Hale's drumming technique and Dalager's vocals range from sweetly understated to feisty and powerful. In "Everyone You Know," for instance, Dalager's soft intro is perfectly matched by Hale's distant drumming until both elements simultaneously build and erupt into the urgent strains of the chanting chorus. In both "Have You Tried" and the title track, "Cars," Dalager's vocals are packed with so much energy that the isolated and staccato syllables she sings in the chorus become almost drum-like.
In light of the youthful vibe of Cars, it's only appropriate that Dalager and Hale's initial foray into songwriting began after marching band practice one day in Blaine, Minn.
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