Hey Rosetta!

As non-traditional pop songs go, "New Goodbye” is unforgettable. Just try getting its hooks out of your head for the next week. This lead-off track on the St. John’s five-piece’s first full-length album provides a solid template for their approach: Tim Baker’s breathy, soft-spoken vocals leading to percussion, followed by a full-fledged band assault, building to a fully-orchestrated piece of epic proportions. A touring band first, Hey Rosetta! formed in ’05, attracting attention for the quality of their live show. They also attracted the attention of the somewhat manic Hawksley Workman, who produces here, yet Lungs remains their own, their colourful palette of sound slightly embellished under Workman’s influence. There’s a strong pop sense to the 12 songs here, yet the scale is grand, recalling Mike Scott’s Waterboys, Baker’s voice recalling Del Amitri’s Ian Harvie or a more aggressive and theatrical version of Toad The Wet Sprocket’s Glenn Phillips. "Red Heart” demonstrates the band’s pop potential yet the band are clearly taken with a multi-layered production technique that only occasionally gets in the way of the songs. A promising full-length debut from serious musicians that have barely begun to display their full array of colours.