Christy and Emily

On a humid and sticky night, Gueen’s Head is like a gentle breeze coming in through the open window. Simplicity is a delicate thing and this two-woman combo know exactly when enough is enough. One-half of the group — pianist Emily Manzo (the duo are rounded out by guitarist Christy Edwards) — studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and there are aspects of these tracks that exemplify her musical background. "Noah” is a beautiful song that opens with gentle, almost polite, piano, building with tinkling guitar and layered vocals, everything growing together until there’s no more room. There’s a restraint you can almost feel coming through the tracks and it’s hard to say whether it’s a conscious decision. "Island Song,” however, attempts to break this reserve and is by far the catchiest and most upbeat of the tracks, with a nostalgic Hawaiian guitar in the background and the women singing of love and sadness.