The Yellow Melodies: Life

The Yellow Melodies are Rafa Skam: vocals, guitars, keyboards, synths, glockenspiel and arrangements, Pilar: bass and backing vocals, Carlos Abrisqueta: keyboards, guitars, and José Ángel: drums and percussion. The band hails from Murcia, a university town in Southeastern Spain.

Purchase “Life” from BandCamp, or stream the album on Spotify, and visit their Website.

The Yellow Melodies deliver a bright, ringing brand of music that falls somewhere between alternative rock and pop. Harmony vocals and keyboards play a major role in the overall mix, with less emphasis on the customary guitar-bass-drums dynamic.

“Flying Together” opens with a capella harmony vocals reminiscent of Queen. “Do I deserve a second chance, do I deserve a place in your heart, flying together…” The guitars have a sweet, echoing ring on this one, a dreamy slice of pop.

“For A Star” begins as primarily acoustic, which offers an effective shift in dynamics at the mid-point of the album, although it does pick up speed as intensity as the song unfolds, with a very “electric” finale.

“Don’t Think Twice” is energetic and upbeat, as is the entire album. While there are shifts in volume and intensity, it’s all positive energy. “The Urban Cyclist” is especially sweet, with such a pure and innocent melody, and a great twangy, echoed guitar solo. It’s one of the strongest tracks on the album, the one I’d pull for a single.

The album closes with the 8-minute “Back Again,” the most complex and layered track here, with the dynamics of the Sgt. Pepper / Magical Mystery Tour era of The Beatles, as well as Brian Wilson’s “Pet Sounds” studio epics. It’s a perfect finish to the album, displaying the bands full orchestral strengths in a mini-suite that builds dynamically and dissolves into a sea of instrumentation and sound effects.

This album offers music that is fresh and familiar all at once, with a plethora of “plot twists” to please audiences who love good music, and are on the lookout for something unique.