Saturnine is like crossing an old R.E.M. song with Peter Paul and Mary. Take "Talk About the Passion" as covered by that dynamic folk trio cover from the top of a lemon tree. Mary isn't singing, though-- she severely burned her vocal chords eating lemons. So, it's just Peter and Paul. Singing "Talk About the Passion." Sounds kind of biblical, eh? Did I mention that this was Peter and Paul singing the first demo version of "Talk About the Passion?" Or that they're singing it an eighth of a step out of key?

Well, maybe that's a bad explanation. Perhaps you'd relate more if I told you American Kestrel sounds like Matt Galloway singing and playing guitar with Jennifer Baron on another guitar, Mike Donofrio on bass, and Jim Harwood drumming. Can you hear that? Imagine them in their practice space. They're playing "The Wind is Blowing Like an Outlaw." Jennifer just messed up the bridge, so they're gonna do another take before putting it on the album. Is this too far out of your frame of reference?

How about some lyrics: "Old trees are high." "Life is short but longer when it rings." "It's not a science that you read about in books." What do those tell you? Can't you hear the upbeat tempos? Do you hear the backup vocal "ahhhhs" on the end of phrases? Did you come to the conclusion that this is alt-revival-folk-country?

I guess I should really tell you a story about when Mike Mills and Michael Stipe played their high school prom as the Peregrine Falcons and Mike Mills stopped playing halfway through because Michael Stipe started getting all political, and said the words "high" and "stoned" too many times in his lyrics. Too bad I don't have a story about that. I don't even think it ever happened.

-Chip Chanko