With vintage sounding indie bands being a flavor of the year, many bands are relying too heavily on their influences and failing to create something new. In contrast, The Mynabirds create a lively musical synergy on their debut album, What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood. They do not bash the listener over the head with their influences. Instead, they subtly incorporate soul and R & B arrangements into their pop rock sound. The outcome of this is an album that puts a fresh spin on a classic sound. It gets better with every listen.

What consistently stands out is lead singer Laura Burhenn’s diverse vocal range. On certain songs her voice sounds very similar to Fiona Apple and Norah Jones. There are even a couple of tracks where she could be mistaken for Amy Winehouse. Burhenn’s strong vocals are what make the album’s soul qualities work. As the album progresses the soul and R & B sound give way to more of the slower pop rock tone. I wish the soul would have stayed for the entire album. Still, The Mynabirds hit their mark with What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood.

Score: 5.5

Scale

1 –3: I was impaired in some way when I bought this album (it’s embarrassing)

4: A few decent tracks, nothing memorable. Selling it back to the record store

5: Some great tracks, a solid album

6: One of the better albums I have listed to

7: These are very few and far between. Flawless from top to bottom