Single Review: The Noted  “I Am”

The Noted is getting a lot of hype in and outside of their local scene in the Pacific Northwest right now, and when listening to their new single “I Am,” it makes plenty of sense why. While not ascribing to the framework of Americana entirely, there’s a throwback element to their music that allows for their brooding brand of folk/rock to sound all the fresher. Take into account their complete lack of pretentiousness and “I Am” isn’t just a good debut single, but a bar-raising performance from a group on the verge of really making it big.

Creatively, you can tell when a band has been thrown together to make a quick buck or just cashing in on a popular trend, and it’s clear from the start of this song that The Noted are not among these crews. Their chemistry shows us that they’ve been playing together for a minute, but more pressingly, it also indicates that they’ve got a natural aptitude for this sort of artistic setup, which is not true of every talented performer – let alone five different people sharing the same studio. If they can make this last, they’re probably going to produce content that pushes themselves and each other more than the status quo calls for.

The percussion doesn’t just form the tempo in this piece; it outright shapes the emotional core of the lyrics, which is typically a role reserved for melodic instrumentation over anything physical in the mix. The acoustic guitar is rather minimalistic for the tempo, but I don’t see where making it any grander would have done anything for the track compositionally, especially being that we’ve got three equally gifted vocalists cutting up the top of the mix as dominantly as they are. Less is more, and the saying applies here.

The lyrical dynamics in “I Am” foster a lot of vitality that would have been thoroughly muted were The Noted a bit more predictable with the verses, and while the beat seems to clutter the words in a couple of spots towards the beginning of the track, I think the mashup of instrumentation and vocals was essential to setting off the energy at the start of the song. There are different ways to utilize tension in a pop single, but this is a rare case where tension isn’t just a catalyst for catharsis, but the very center of the performance itself.

I will be looking out for more content from The Noted as they find their way into the mainstream side of folk/rock, and although the underground is exploding with credible songwriters and performers this year, I think what this group has in “I Am” should be enough to set aside their style from that of the masses. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think they’re rebelling against trends towards a more melodic strain of Americana than we’ve ever heard before, but if you’re under the impression that this quintet is going to do business the same way their PNW peers do, you’d better think again.

Edward Cyr