Besides a clever play on the name, The Royal Oui have outdone themselves with their latest self-titled album. The record plays like the soundtrack of a love story in its own right, and would complement the sad, though beautiful story of star-crossed lovers. For anyone looking to dive straight into a quiet and easy listening release to warm up to, this group’s got you covered.
Born of Adrienne Pierce and Ari Shine, who married in 2008, the album is a veritable garden of sound. “Sirensong” opens up the record perfectly with a gorgeous introduction of acoustic guitar and percussion married beautifully with a combination of clean and digitally altered electric guitars to blend a series of modernistic sounds with the minimalism of acoustic performance.
“I’ll Meet You” and “Heart Safe” round off the middle of the record, retaining largely the same approach as the early tracks without sounding tired or drawn out. By this time, The Royal Oui keeps on giving, and impresses upon the listener the heart and soul of Pierce and Shine while not presenting as a case of “trying-too-hard” or an almost pretentious ploy to appear to be something they are not.
By the conclusion, “Bonfire” and “Montauk (This Is The End)” tie everything together with a burst of liveliness and energy only seldom seen from beginning to end. While The Royal Oui is not likely the kind of record to get people up and dancing, the songs that encompass it go much further. They entice memories and create a solemn soundtrack that can be appreciated by anyone who gives it a listen.
The album is certainly devoid of excitement and lacks an abundance of energy, but it’s not without a few notes of it to spice the release up on the whole. At the end of the day, it’s a cultured piece carved straight from the heart, and that makes up a shortage of anything.
In A Word: Earnest
