Artist: Mark Rogers and Mary Byrne
Title: I Line My Days Along Your Weight
Label: Important Records
Genre: folk noir/folk music
CD review by Dante Mann
I Line My Days Along Your Weight, the debut album by Mark Rogers and Mary Byrne , is compelling and an intriguing form of modern folk. There is a distinct southern flavor to this album; the music is subtle and minimalist while remaining dynamic and stylistically robust.
Listening to I Line My Days Along Your Weight is like driving down a seemingly endless country road on a sunny spring day. Byrne’s vocals have a graceful yet gritty timbre engaging empathy from the listener all the while remaining catchy. Rogers’ exquisite slide playing and affect for melody/counter melody creates the perfect framework for their storytelling style of songwriting.
The earworm on this album, “When Your Elders are Tall” (track 3), like much of this album is deep in meaning and evokes a strong visual feeling. This song is in a minor key reminiscent of some of the more minor traditional Irish music; it bounces along carried by a chipper mandolin riff.
The song that best exemplifies Rogers and Byrne, their collective talents, sensibilities, and chemistry is the first track “First Fall Nights”. This track sounds like fall, Byrne’s sweeping voice layered atop a galloping but nonintrusive guitar line and shifting seamlessly from darkness to light.
I Line My Days Along Your Weight in its entirety is distinct and quite pleasant, I would recommend this album and anticipate great things from this impressive duo.
Check out their concert review!
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