Hey Marseilles
Lines We Trace
Onto Entertainment/Thirty Tigers
Producer: Sam Anderson, Hey Marseilles
Score: 8 out of 10
Seattle rain must be covering everything with a beautiful dewy sheen, given the nature of these six northwesterners’ sophomore release, Lines We Trace. Described by the band as a “folkestra,” Hey Marseilles use rich layers of cello, accordion, sweeping piano, guitar, huge drums that clap and thunder, trumpet and viola to achieve an orchestral variety show of music with shadings of jazz, classical piano numbers and chamber folk with intricately woven hooks. The buoyant pop sense lies within those hooks that come like a downpour, but vocalist-guitarist Matt Bishop delivers the lyrics—heartfelt, concerning love, lament and loss—with the gentleness of a drizzle.
——Jessica Pace
