Singer-songwriters Troy & Paula Haag are a husband and wife duo based out of Northern Virginia. Their intriguing brand of folk-inflected Americana music is bolstered by their gorgeous close-knit harmonies and blends together elements of country, alternative and pop. The duo affectionately describes their music as “a mash up of folk, rock, & Cosmic American” and it fits them perfectly.
As the long-awaited follow up to their very promising and highly-praised 2012 debut album, The Century – their recently self-released sophomore album, Migrate is available via all the major digital music outlets and captures their warm, organic sound. With a DIY approach, the songs were written, performed and recorded by the Haag’s at Southern Gothic Studio in Nineveh, Virginia. Where their debut was more stripped-down and intimate with simpler arrangements, each vocalist is also a multi-instrumentalist with Troy contributing guitar, drums, violin, bass, harmonica and mandolin and Paula contributing piano, guitar, and hand percussion resulting in more ornate arrangements that really compliment the duo’s strong songwriting and versatile vocal performances.
“Another Tale In Hard Times” opens the album with a hopeful yet hard luck tale built upon fancy fretwork and flickering mandolin figures for the perfect introduction for new listeners. “This Is How It Feels” follows with jangly acoustic guitars and a loping bass guitar-led rhythm that recalls the pastoral English folk of the late 60’s and 70’s. “Used Up” plays up to our nostalgic need to look back upon our younger days with its emotionally honesty lyrics alongside a steadily strummed rhythm and a melodic extended guitar solo that comes out of nowhere for a nice surprise. With cascading guitars, subtle hand percussion and swaying vocal melodies, “Samarkand (For Josephine)” offers up a dreamy atmosphere and a standout moment. Another standout, the upbeat “Cries & Lies” is highlighted by blues-infused guitars, catchy Beach Boys and doo-wop inspired background vocals and an infectious sing-along chorus. Additionally, Troy allows his voice to crack just a little bit when singing the word “cries”; a nice little trick that only adds to the song’s emotional weight.
As a nice change of pace, “Emily Dickinson’s Daughter” is outfitted with beefed up percussion and Paula’s vocal harmonies give the song a 60’s psych-pop element that combine with a solo passage featuring playful interplay between the guitar and harmonica. Next, “Maybe It Was Me” offers up a gentle yet driving folk-inflected rhythm that matches the bittersweet sentiment of the lyrics and beautifully braided vocal harmonies. “Touch” features some quick Bluegrass-like finger style guitar arpeggios and layers of light to the touch harmonies that sets the scene perfectly for a wistful tale of love. Along the same lines, Troy really showcases his strong guitar-playing skill on “Fall For You” as well with a bluesy guitar solo offset by mandolin and intricate strumming patterns. Clocking in at nearly six minutes in length, “27” is the duo’s most ambitious track and was lyrically inspired by Neil Young, William Blake, Robert Frost and Edna St. Vincent Millay while musically, it is a rollicking take on Laurel Canyon-esque California folk-pop with bluesy harmonica melodies added for good measure. The 11-track album closes out on a high note with “Lies & Cries”, an instrumental tune with an upbeat, head-nodding rhythm and charming, laid-back guitar melodies that are memorable enough that you will be humming them long after the disc stops spinning.
With their second album, Migrate, Troy & Paula Haag have continued to perfect their sound and have crafted an impressive collection of Americana with memorable melodies and thought-provoking lyrics that sounds both modern and nostalgic all at once.
Reviewed by: Justin Kreitzer
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars