Now, Now Every Children
Not One, But Two (2008)
Brian Shultz
Now, Now Every Children are so young that their name could be self-referential. There's also a pair of siblings here and with two other relative kids they make really earnest and understated indie pop, so in this sense they're a lot like Eisley -- only not as dynamic, less radio-friendly and without the weird adult-contemp shades that band has flashed in recent times.
Regardless, this stuff is super, super promising and hard not to like. There's a sheer honesty that permeates Not One, But Two, and having Cacice Dalager sing sweetly and serendipitously all throughout certainly doesn't hurt.
The most memorable of the songs is the opening title track, because that's the only spot where the arrangements really pick up at all (besides three minutes into closer "Friends with My Sister"), but it creates a lasting impression. Dalager's repetitive delivery of "tell them all you want" is simply a digging hook.
Not One, But Two is definitely missing a certain punch, but I like what's going on here. With another EP and full-length on the way, maybe that's where the dynamics are introduced and the magnanimous sound is completed.
STREAM
Friends with My Sister