All too often, bands focus their energy on writing songs that are filled with the standard verse/chorus structure and the music behind it is not much more than a dull and spiritless afterthought. On To Travels & Trunks, the debut album from Seattle's folk orchestra Hey Marseilles, the beauty and originality of the music takes precedence on every track and the result is some of the most lush and exciting orchestrations I've ever heard from rock music. In the spirit of The Rachels, Hey Marseilles mixes classically trained musicianship with the casualness of folk rock.

The album is bookended by quiet, pretty piano waltzes that crescendo, with violin, cello, and cymbals into a dramatic folk concerto. The opening track "Marseilles" leads the listener to believe they have stumbled upon the soundtrack for a film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The album then transitions into accordion and cello driven orchestral rock with plucky violin and trumpet leads. The spirited "Rio" features cello, bells, violin, trumpet, and ecstatic handclaps, and is immediately followed by a long, airy piano/violin intro in "Cities."

Midway through the album, there is an interlude of acoustic guitar folk songs. Things pick up again with the standout "From a Terrace," showcasing everything from their staple gypsy folk sound to jazzy muted trumpet, to darker Balkan themes. Every second of this album is packed with special attention to the kind of beauty and real musicianship that we rarely experience in rock music today. [Editor's note - this is the frontrunner for album of the year, in my opinion] (Self-released)

http://www.myspace.com/heymarseilles