Ivan & Alyosha

Photo Credit: Jose Mandojana

With a literary nod to Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov, Ivan & Alyosha hit the four-part harmonies like fellow Seattle folkies Fleet Foxes. The fictional brothers – actually four members who formed around Tim Wilson in 2007 – get into all kinds of familial obligations on their new EP, Fathers Be Kind. “Fathers be kind to your children, you know it matters what you tell them, you gotta feel for them, you gotta steal for them,” Wilson et al sing on the title track, laying the indie pop on thick. “Glorify” employs a mountain melody and tells a story that adds a few bits that might have seemed odd in the Carter canon. “Glorify the lord above with your drink and making love.” With help in the studio from mixing engineer Bryan Cook and Wilson’s brother Pete, I&A achieve a polished west coast soul-folk sound that draws on the poppier sensibilities of McCartney songwriting. With the Mumford-led revival in full effect, a few festival gigs this summer should get Ivan & Alyosha well on their way.