State Lines by Rarebirds

"State Lines, the third album to be released by Rarebirds, is a documentation of Carolynne McNeel’s twelve-year love affair with the city of Philadelphia.
It is every bit a tribute to the city of brotherly love, as it is a celebration of transformation and evolution. This collection of songs is a narrative about falling in and out of love with ideas, people, places, and dreams; moving on, doing it all over again, and all the while looking back fondly and being ecstatically happy about the fact that things don’t always turn out the way you want them to…because that’s what makes life interesting.

State Lines showcases a great line-up of Philadelphia musicians. Long-time Rarebirds guitarist, Keith Forsythe returns for another recording and his ever-sweet riffs do not disappoint. John Ziga, killing it on drums (True If Destroyed, Rizzo Machine), also returns from a rocking-of-latter day with McNeel in the band April Disaster. Ben Morgan (Be Careful Little Hands) is a great fit with his big bouncy bass lines and stead-fast swagger. Aleksandr Yaker (Roomtone, Grammar Debate!, Honey Church) joins the band for State Lines adding flourishes with his very talented hands on keys and puns to spare.

With influences on this record as broad-ranged as Belle and Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, John Lennon and Ray Charles, Rarebirds brings you an even balanced mix of the upbeat and the mellow, the melodic and the rhythmic, and pop with just a hint of soul and a touch of folksy country.

April of 2010 marked the life-changing uprooting of Carolynne, and thus Rarebirds, from Philadelphia. From blatant Philly-centric references to the more subtle or more personalized ones, State Lines is a nostalgic farewell and forget-me-not, penned on scented stationary and tucked away in a dresser drawer, waiting to be perfectly aged and read over and over again many years from now."

Facebook