The Head and the Heart are not only a Seattle band, they’re from the neighborhood where I used to live, Ballard. They self-released their eponymous debut album in 2009 and immediately started getting huge buzz. The album was the No. 1 seller of 2010 at beloved Ballard record store Sonic Boom. Since then they’ve toured with all sorts of hip bands that start with D, like The Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, and Dr. Dog.
The album was just remastered and rereleased by Sub Pop. The sound is pretty much iconic indie folk-pop: guitar strumming, piano and violin accents, snappy, rolling drums, world-weary singing, and tons of gorgeous harmonies. The songwriting isn’t exactly innovative, but it’s immediately likable and shows immense promise. I expect big things from their sophomore effort.
This song is called “Sounds Like Hallelujah.”
Here’s a bonus video: