Bright Fire

The California duo the Honey Trees explore a mix of mostly sunny sounds. Their first full-length album, after 2009’s Wake the Earth EP, took four years to come to fruition. And while the album itself doesn’t sound labored, it does feature beautifully orchestrated moments that were the work of producer Jeremy Larson (Mutemath, Switchfoot) with whom the band spent a month recording in Springfield, Mo. His contributions on violin, viola, cello, baritone horn, trombone, bells, and keyboards supplement the works of Becky Filip and Jacob Wick, who stuck to their more orthodox instruments of piano, bass, drums, and guitar. “By the River” gives the impression that the album is treading near chamber folk, but the chiming stereo guitars of “Nightingale” prove that The Honey Trees have pop moves in that great California tradition. “Siren,” “The Seaside," and “Wild Winds” veer nearer to the sweet piano vibe of The Carpenters and the lite strains of ‘70s AM radio.