A folk trio from Phoenix, Arizona with an undeniable penchant for Nick Drake. Subtle, beautiful orchestrations turn acoustic guitar numbers into something majestic - delicate touches of piano and violin really drive home the Nick Drake comparisons but the Try Me Bicycle are talented enough and bring so much to the table – that they don’t come off as imitators. Listeners may also hear, especially in the vocals, echoes of another band from the southwestern United States: The Shins. Their acoustic numbers, to be specific, because Try Me Bicycle has neither the instrumentation or the inkling to really kick up a raucous.
The beautiful piano parts, in particular, really bring something new to a familiar sound. The voice has more of a contemporary pop folk sound and vocal harmonies are brought in here and there to good effect. And the sound, while at times having that mystic British Isles fingerpicked guitar sound, at other times veers off towards pop, a sort of easy-listening jazz slickness, a schmaltzy Americana that recalls Elephant Six a la early Of Montreal aiming at the sixties Main Street USA feel of Harper’s Bizarre or Van Dyke Parks.
Fans of delicate folk with a strong pop element will find the pretty and peaceful sound of Try Me Bicycle a welcome spin.
