Ryan Gabos, who sings, plays all the instruments, and writes all the songs as Sotto Voce, balks at the term “concept album”, but all of the songs on his latest record, The Sound of Trying, are about the same thing, so he feels that it qualifies. “These are seven offerings of what it’s like to feel batty about someone while keeping a sorry reality at bay,” he explains in the album’s press notes. That type of cohesion in the lyrics’ subject matter is a nice bonus for a record that already sounds spectacular, thanks to the combination of off-kilter arrangements, inventive guitar melodies, experimental tweaks, and long stretches of almost hallucinatory instrumental sections that make up Sotto Voce’s utterly enjoyable discography.
Gabos has described the record as a continuation of his last album, Murgatroyd (2023), “at least its yearning parts,” he says. From a musical perspective, that’s certainly not far off the mark. Gabos’ knack for making his songs sound challenging and complex yet charming and hummable is on full display in the opening track, “Sitting in a Tree”. Gabos sings over the simple, twin acoustic guitar melodies for a few minutes before the full band kicks in, packing a wallop with a post-punk crunch and distorted lead guitar straight out of Wilco‘s A Ghost Is Born.
“Kickball” exerts that same type of energy, as gurgling synths usher in a quiet/loud/quiet dynamic that recalls 1990s alt rock, with an extra dose of lyrical sadness: “To know when to and not to take your hand / Came here to sulk and see my favorite band.” “It’s a Dull Pain”, meanwhile, dials in a more low-key arrangement, albeit one that occasionally stutters like vintage Pavement.
Like previous Sotto Voce albums, The Sound of Trying indulges Gabos’ desire for long, oddball epics that would seem to linger on too long if his skill at creating dazzling, unique soundscapes weren’t so stunning. “Miami from the Window Seat” begins with a brief, distorted guitar freak-out before a harmonic guitar figure runs at great length and the group kick into a weirdly catchy rock vibe, with Gabos singing that “The bachelorette cannot distract me, nor the street heat / You’re prettier than Miami from the window seat.”
Elsewhere, the languid tempo of “Days Without Incident” is lifted by gorgeous interlocking electric guitars and sumptuous vocal harmonies, the odd time signatures in “A Special Place in Hell, Pt. II” gives a bit of a rough edge to the song’s gentle, circular melodies, and while the winsome closing track, “Threesome (Asking for a Friend)” clocks in at nearly eight minutes, the song could’ve faded out halfway. Still, Gabos insists on exploring every space. The result is a beautiful slab of power pop/folk that features an airy, wide-open coda, adding new dimensions and ideas that elevate an already terrific composition.
Recording as Sotto Voce, Ryan Gabos (who gigs under the moniker with a full band) once again comes to the table with an arsenal of great songs. The way the songs constructed suggests a sort of Todd Rundgren in Brooklyn vibe, marrying the lo-fi, DIY aesthetics of bedroom pop with a musical mind that never seems to run out of good ideas.