Tall Heights

Rough Trade / Brooklyn, NY

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Photos by Lou Montesano

Tall Heights — Tim Harrington on guitar and Paul Wright on cello — started out busking on the streets of Boston, and are now taking their vocal harmonies across the country in anticipation of the release of Neptune, their first CD on the Sony Masterworks label. For their live performances the progressive folk duo has added percussionist Paul Dumas to lend a sturdy beat to their rich voices and largely acoustic sound. Appearing at Rough Trade NYC, part of the venerable London-based independent record stores, the trio delivered a 50-minute set of tunes from their previous EP as well as the songs from Neptune, due out in August, that their growing fan base hopes will take Tall Heights to the next level in terms of critical and commercial awareness.

In addition to their considerable musical talents, the boys showed themselves capable of bantering with the Williamsburg hipsterati and creating an ambiance that prevented their ethereal sound from taking on a tone of excessive earnestness. The high harmonies of “Spirit Cold,” “River Wider” and “Infrared” have become the pair’s trademark along with strings augmented by special effects and the occasional electric keyboard. Tim and Paul are road warriors, having passed through New York a month prior at the Gibson Showroom (read the feature here). The tour will continue through the Midwest on its way to Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles before returning to New York in October. Look for a full review of Neptune on Elmore in the weeks ahead as well as news on the group’s live shows.

-Peter Jurew

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