Though they reside in the usually gloomy sounding London, Treetop Flyers actually has a sound that puts them musically in about 1968 in Southern California and the Laurel Canyon scene. Their breezy and warm folk rock that is just so laid back easily disguises their geographical location to the point where one might think this is new outfit of members from bands like The Byrds or Crosby, Stills & Nash.
The Mountain Moves starts off with the pop friendly and easily sing-a-longable and “Things Will Change,” a summery and breezy tune that brings to mind the ’70s spirit of The Jayhawks. After a few quicker, classic rock inspired tracks, “Roses In The Yard” slows the pace down to a twang level, showing beautiful restraint, which isn’t far from the alt-country sounding “Haunted House” further down the line. Late in the album, “Picture Show” keeps the momentum flowing with soulful blues riffs, though it exits on the acoustic and serene “It It All Worth It,” a reflective and pensive gem that puts the exclamation point on a fantastic album in a hushed way.
If you miss the best music that encapsulated the ’60s and ’70s or just haven’t been able to appreciate it yet, Treetop Flyers will be both a nostalgic listen and a reminder that a variation of this sound is currently in high demand (RE: Mumford). Very much what you’d expect for a band named after a Stephen Stills song (it was even recorded in Malibu), the timeless and harmonic folk rock that Treetop Flyers is perfecting could easily put them in company with any number of recent similar sensations (i.e The Lumineers).
For someone like myself is only slightly interested in classic rock, Treetop Flyers won me over pretty quick with the warm vocal harmonies on “House Burning Down.” If I ever become a fan of the genre, it will most likely be attributed to this album.
