Lives and Treasure

iTunes Review

After making a splash with their promising EP, All of the Fire, the duo of Molly Shea and Jason Klauber spent the next two years working on their full-length debut, Lives and Treasure, with three different producers. The time was well spent. These polished and well-crafted songs pull equally from folk rock and electronic pop in both structure and texture. The two multi-instrumentalists trade off lead vocals, with Klauber singing the folkier, more organic numbers and Shea the more synth-driven and airy pop tunes. It’s a division of duties that suits their individual voices while also lending a good duality to the album. That said they shine brightest when they sing together, as on “Molly’s Vertigo,” “Asian Pear,” and the title track, which also happen to be some of the strongest tracks here. The pacing of the songs also keeps things interesting as brief acoustic tracks “The Window” and “Tortoise Shell Shades” are interspersed into the lineup between the glossiest and most heavily produced cuts. Gentle and understated, Lives and Treasure is a melodically rich recording that leaves you wanting more.