Album Review: The Way Is Read by The Staves

The Way Is Read pairs indie folk singing sisters the Staves with indie/classical chamber sextet yMusic, a group that had already recorded with musicians like John Legend, Ben Folds, and Dirty Projectors prior to the project. A true collaborative effort, it brings together original songs by the Staves and reworked versions of yMusic compositions, and was co-produced by the Staves' Jessica Staveley-Taylor and yMusic violinist Rob Moose. The result is neither a folk album nor a classical one -- not that these acts ever fit squarely into either of those camps to begin with -- falling more into the realm of experimental chamber pop.

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T he suspicion that this collaboration between Watford folk trio the Staves and New York chamber ensemble yMusic might be an incongruous one seems to be borne out by the opening two tracks. Hopeless is an a cappella piece, the Staveley-Taylor sisters harmonising beautifully; by contrast, Take Me Home is a wilfully discordant battle between flute and violin, with the vocals only adding to the chaos. But from there on in it's a far more coherent coupling, the two divergent styles complementing rather than fighting each other.

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The highly anticipated collaboration between folk trio The Staves and the chamber ensemble yMusic has finally arrived in the form of the twelve track album, 'The Way is Read'. The album begins with the soft, enchanting vocals from the trio with the a cappella track, 'Hopeless'. The track is simplistic, with the vocals harmonising together to create an almost celestial sound.

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