Quiet, nearly bereft of reverb, simple and relaxed. These are the sounds of the Sock Angels. It's a self-recorded and produced disc by the twin couples Daniel and Martha Moriarty, and Andy and Mandy Langenfeld. Real-Audio files are available on their website for your listening pleasure. The instrumentation on the disc is sparse -- drum machine loops, acoustic guitar, programmed bass, and some organs and other keyboards appear now and then on the disc. Most of the songs are vocally led by Daniel, and joined in duet by Mandy. Nearly the whole album was recorded and mixed in Daniel and Martha's basement 'studio' on Daniel's laptop. The band's bio sheet claims comparisons to Yo La Tengo, the Delgados, Low, Ida, and Sparklehorse. Another that would possibly be comparable is The Innocence Mission. Low's music has more thunder, even though the vocals are similar to Sock Angels--albeit with tighter harmonies. But that should give you an idea of what to expect if you score the Sock Angels' latest release.
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Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Greg AdamsWith the advance of off-the-shelf software and the Internet, just about anybody can produce and promote an album; of course, this doesn't mean that everyone should. But one listen to the Minneapolis-based indie trio The Sock Angels -- Daniel Moriarty (vocals, guitars, other sounds), Mandy Langenfeld (vocals, keys) and Martha Moriarty (violin, backing vocals)--makes me thank God for the growing…
