Scent of Soil is an inviting and inventive LP.

Scent of Soil is a band fronted by a vocalist and a saxophonist. While that may sound like a recipe for some generic new age easy listening experience, nothing could be further from the truth. On Scent of Soil the band slices through a variety of genres with ease but constantly demonstrates its jazz roots, even though most of the material here comes off as powerpop-influenced indie/folk. There’s an abundance of lush atmosphere and impressive instrumentation that adds up into exciting songs that manage to feel restrained. While many of these songs would’ve been better off with less of an emphasis on the saxophone playing, it does help provide the band with another distinguishing mark—even if it does occasionally soften (or eliminate) some of the more exciting moments. That said, this remains an exciting and original release.