The Court & Spark are a remarkably tasteful band, but not so much that they’re boring. On Hearts, the nimble veteran quintet continues to defy genres and styles, creating a patchwork of memorable songs that buzz, jangle, and slither all over the map.
Just when M.C. Taylor lulls you to a comfortable nod with his lazy acoustic guitar over the lilting rhythm section, some sort of audio wizardy pops out of nowhere, at once invigorating yet oddly complementary. With Taylor’s relaxed, wry style (and song titles such as “Your Mother Was The Lightning” and “The Ballad Of Horselover Fat”), it’s hard to tell if he’s smiling, winking, or both. Or how he feels about sounding uncannily similar to James Taylor.
Sonically, the band delivers Pink Floyd-inspired spaciness and heft, sound effects befitting a Radiohead record, and arrangements that would make pop mastermind Jon Brion smile. But somehow it never feels forced or cramped. The multitude of bells and whistles are expertly layered and textured to never overshadow the melody or take away from the top-notch songcraft.
The band is also occasionally willing to let the music speak for itself: Four instrumentals on the album are inspired, nothing at all resembling filler. It’s exciting, and comforting, to hear a band at the top of its game reach for such an expansive sound, and achieve it with such ease and grace.