Builder of the House
Ornaments
(self-released)

Builder of the House (that’s the rockin’ acoustic duo of Rob Camitile and Elliot Heeschen) pretty much kicks it out of the park on their first full-length album, Ornaments. A sweet string-like swell opens into the clomping beat of the first tune here, “Never Going Back,” as we are fed a true Americana singalong in the chorus. “My New Eyes” features some wacky whistling and snapping. I love the rushing lyrics here in this anxious little ditty, paired with the bass, the percussion loops, and the “oohs” sliding in to build a heady concoction that stays tight. “Look at the Man” is a sweet, low down, acoustic pluck of a song. The video is quite startling for this tune (if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here). It’s a song about a deep subject, with jumpy vocals and a lilting chorus. Things get a little lighter with the “ah yay ya” chanting of the spry “Dawn of Day” and a jumpy snare moves “Lily” along. “Pray For Me” has a good echo effect on the slippery strings sound and what might be the best groove on this record for me. It’s slightly more electric than what has come before, and has a good harmony vocal. “Weight In Gold,” an almost nursery rhyme-like stomper, ends Ornaments. Informed by single dangerous guitar notes and low roiling bass, this is one of the better tunes on an album of very good songs indeed; it’s a great ender. Builder of the House has their particular modern brand of folk sounding spot-on on Ornaments.