Soular

Soular is an Albuquerque, New Mexico rock group formed in 2001. The band is made up of Marsh, Jared Ashcraft, Brian Lee and Ian Byrd, and its line-up develops from the collaboration between Jared Ashcraft and Marsh, who begin working together before the others join.

Background and style

Soular is based in Albuquerque but spends much of its time touring. The band places particular emphasis on live performance, audience interaction and the energy of playing on stage. Its members describe the act of performing as central to what the group does, and they present themselves as a hard-working band that stays close to its audience.

Their sound is described as “epoch rock” and draws on the Beatles, Radiohead, U2, Queen and Led Zeppelin while remaining distinctive. The group’s music combines modern melodies and unusual rhythms with large arrangements that also draw on a classical feel. Its instrumentation includes older and less common sounds such as a Moog synthesiser and a theremin alongside a wall of amplifiers.

Releases

Soular releases its first album, Time and Space, after drummer Ian Byrd joins the group. The album appears on the CMJ 200 chart for more than two months in 2005. The band later builds on the EP Waiting for Tomorrow, which is written in roughly two weeks and has a natural, improvised feel. That leads to Love Crash Heal, an album shaped by themes of relationships, human behaviour and sociology drawn from life on the road. The record is described as moving between darker and lighter relationship themes while still sounding hopeful.

Recording and reception

Soular aims to preserve the organic atmosphere and improvised moments of Waiting for Tomorrow while refining the rough edges for Love Crash Heal. The album is noted for lyrical emotion and romance, and for the way it deals with falling, recovering and growing. A UK review also describes the band as using music as a spiritual gift.