New Artist: La Strada

La Strada is an orchestral pop group from New York who just released their debut EP this past week. The band of seven create beautiful music with a variety of instruments including accordion, guitar, cello, violin, and viola. The sound is something like indie rock presented through a classical lens and is slightly reminiscent of a few of my other recent favorites; Peter Adams, The Uglysuit and Pale Young Gentlemen, which puts them in very good company if you ask me.

La Strada's self-titled effort is a consistently great selection of six songs that showcase the band's talent in creating gorgeous arrangements and executing them flawlessly. Singer James Craft presents his quaint stories with his clear, delicate voice while the band send the music swirling around him, sometimes with a gentle, soft touch, as on "Loved You All Along" and occasionally with a much more epic flair like the grand closer, "Starling." Their music is definitely worth looking into, so check out their MySpace page, where you can hear a few tunes and see the music video for the lovely "The Sun Song."

Also, you can download "Starling" from TheTripwire.com!

EP Track list:

1. Orphan
2. The Sun Song
3. Flying
4. Loved You All Along
5. Mama
6. Starling