Review: David Wax Museum - Everything Is Saved
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 8:57AM 
You could say David Wax Museum had a good 2010. They toured with The Old 97s, played one of the most memorable sets at Newport Folk 2010, garnered lavish praise from NPR's music guru Bob Boilen and took home a Boston Music Award - but with a recent NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Daytrotter session and steadily-building buzz, it's starting to look like 2011 might be even better.
The question is, does their new album Everything Is Saved live up to the growing expectations? Simply put, the answer is a resounding "yes" - this is the sound of artists maturing, expanding and refining their sound and delivering a lovingly-crafted masterpiece of an album.
It's a well-known fact that David Wax spent a year in Mexico studying traditional son jarocho - and that influence is sprinkled throughout the album - but a variety of other influences as diverse as Klezmer, traditional folk and indie rock are seamlessly blended into a textured and cohesive whole. Opener "Born With A Broken Heart" begins with handclaps and a simply-strummed jarana, but gradually builds to a rousing crescendo as accordion, ramshackle percussion and finally latin horns appear. From there the album takes a number of unexpected twists and turns - "That's Not True" is a haunting, percussion-driven standout that features an Eastern European accordian and horn interlude that wouldn't sound out of place on a Beirut record. "Night Was A Car" is a blue-eyed soul tune that I could picture Rick Danko belting out in the basement of Big Pink. "Chuchumbe", a hybrid Mexican-folk-pop should-be hit that you won't be able to get out of your head. The album draws to a close with two simple folk ballads "The Least I Can Do", a poignant reflection on the past, and "Wait For Me", a solemn vow of solidarity and love.
These varied influences are expertly combined to create a sound that is refreshingly original and tuned to suit the mood of each song. With such a rich palette of sounds at their disposal, the restraint shown is impressive - never are the arrangements heavy-handed or excessive. In fact, some of the most affecting moments on the album are when the songs are stripped bare - "Lavender Street" features solo piano, simple electric guitar, leaving nothing to distract from the vocals. Similarly, subtle instrumentation is used to accompany Wax's acoustic guitar in the haunting ballad "Look What You've Done To Me". Sam Kassirer's production cannot be overlooked in helping tie the album together and give it a cohesive, live sound - it feels as if you're in the room with the band.
The success of Everything Is Saved is clearly an extension of the people who made it, and the care, love and hard work that they invested. The album -- and I mean that in the broadest sense, from the songs/arrangements, to the DIY funding, to the beautiful packaging -- fully reflects the dedication, belief and sweat equity that the David Wax Museum have poured into their craft. Everything Is Saved is a triumph for a band that has done things on their own terms. I continue to be amazed as I see this band ascend to ever greater heights, but it's not surprising in the least.
David Wax Museum - Born With A Broken Heart
Everything Is Saved is out February 8, order it here. The band's Boston CD release extravaganza is sold out, but the band has a busy tour schedule lined up, including other New England dates in Biddeford ME, Fall River MA and Greenfield MA. Full tour schedule:
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