Anthony Green’s third solo album, “Young Legs”, is slow, mellow and very pleasant to listen to.

Green is more likely known as the lead singer of the alternative/indie rock band Circa Survive and former member of the bands Saosin and The Sound of Animals Fighting. His solo career began in 2008 with debut album “Avalon” followed four years later by “Beautiful Things.”

The opening song, “Breaker,” is the biggest stand out, and best track of the album. It is by far the most different sounding with the addition of echoing vocals and an overall quicker pace than every other song. Green could not have picked a better opener to grab the attention of listeners.

The use of echoing vocals is also used in “When You Sang to Me” as well as “Shine.” These two tracks are a kind of blend between “Breaker” and every other song on the album. They are softer in nature than “Breaker,” but still use a more complex form than most of the other songs.

Next comes the title track. It also begins with some heavier sounding piano, but transitions quickly into a very slow beat with beautifully highlighted vocals. It is very calming as is every other track which follows. Choosing this song as the title track was yet another great decision on behalf of Green.

If I had to pick one song that really exemplifies what the album is about when it comes to the sound, “Young Legs” has it all.

There are short, almost interlude type songs after the third and seventh tracks. These short breaks do not sound much different than the music they giving listeners a break from other than the lack of using a piano.

One song that fell a little flat was “Anytime.” The song begins with an almost reggae sound which does not fit well with the rest of the album. It is also almost too repetitive. About halfway through, it goes into the chorus and then never really comes out of it. Green does use some cool techniques during this period such as suppressing the vocals behind the instruments, but the song should have been made shorter.

As a whole, the album is great. Most albums are meant to be listened to in the order in which they were placed, however; “Young Legs” is one of those that needs to be listened to in the original order.

The songs seem to be laid out in three distinctive sections. The first two begin with the more robust of the tracks then transition into the next section with the short interludes. The layout is much like that of a concerto.

The beginning and end are both quicker than the middle section, and the end track “You Have to Believe It Will Happen” serves as a very good coda in that it ties everything together and you are able to tell that the end is near simply by the tone.

Anthony Green obviously put at least some planning into the making of “Young Legs,” and it paid off. It is one of those albums you can just sit down and listen all the way through, or turn it on and work on some homework without getting too distracted.

4.5/5