Slightly Something knows it's only a name

Taylor Down Under will host the mellow acoustics of Slightly Something tonight at 11. The free performance will support the recent release of the band's first studio album, a self-titled collection of intricate melodies and harmonies flowing like a breeze beneath gentle lyrics, similar to a warm night spent at a carnival.

Slightly Something features songwriter Osama Malik ('03) on acoustic guitar and vocals, senior Beth Maskey on vocals, sophomore Casey Wood on lead guitar and mandolin, George Mason University sophomore Ricky Parrell on saxophone and Tim Gardner ('03) on bass.

Last year, the group was known as Evergreen Terrace, but concerns over the originality of the name precipitated a change in moniker. The new name pays homage to a humorous incident where frontman Malik was asked to describe the sound of the band. Slightly Something was his "joking answer" to the query.

Last May, after graduation, Malik cleared out furniture and converted his bedroom into a makeshift recording studio. As spring showers and thunderstorms pelted his house's windows, Slightly Something convened in the bedroom to lay down tracks for its first album. On several songs, in the background, one can hear rain softly beating against the windows of the makeshift studio.

But, rain showers only add to the ambience of this band's first studio effort. The tracks are marked by the sharp harmonies of Malik and Maskey. Fans of Dispatch especially might appreciate the pair's voices drifting across Pat McGee-inspired guitar riffs that sometimes lean toward bluegrass, as on the playful "Would You Still."

"Up Here" features some impressive mandolin plucking by Wood. (If there is one instrument that we ought to be hearing more of these days, it's the mandolin, for its romantic, tonal quality.) The accompaniments are really something to listen to in the band's music — each instrument seems perfectly complementary to one another (the guitar and mandolin duets seem to be concealing a hearty smile in themselves).

"Today" opens with a Southern-twang quality, and part of its appeal lies in the way Gardner's bass sneaks in surely and steadily and finds a perfect groove. Malik's lyrics probe gently questions of luck, fate and the future: "I wonder who I have to thank for / Maybe this is all because of fate."

One song on the album, "Promise" features guest musician Mike Wu, a senior, lending a finely tuned classical violin to the mix, resulting in a moving ballad about absolution. 

If there is a song to further solidify Slightly Something's place on the map, it is "Glory," featuring some truly wonderful woodwind work from Parrell.

Here he plays much like a young Leroi Moore, who is best known for his saxophone in the Dave Matthews Band, his instrument singing jazz during the chorus, and then softly underlining Malik's vocals. This track, perfectly in tune and impressively sung, is the real treasure of the compact disc.

It is debatable whether or not the band's new name arrives as a drastic understatement — certainly there is nothing slight about musicianship of this caliber. But, title aside, this happens to be a CD that shouldn't be missed.

Slightly Something's new CD is available on the band's official Web site, www.slightlysomething.com, and also can be purchased at the band's live shows.