In reviewing blank canvas four years ago, I mused that "the whole is perhaps more agreeable than the sum of its parts", and I find myself in a very similar frame of mind as I contemplate Lost Files, albeit for different reasons.

The similarity in repertoire choices are not really an issue this time around, and ignoring "feel" is still occasionally a trouble spot, but not the key issue either.

The culprit here is twofold: repetitiveness and mechanization.

When "set it and forget it" comes to mind on three songs of a 6-song EP, something is amiss. And that's precisely what kept nagging at me — in particular during second verses, once I'd already heard one iteration of the basic arrangement — on Taste of You, Trampoline, and Lights Up. It's not that there is anything wildly "wrong" with the arrangements, though they are a bit bland in spots (too often letting the uber-produced bass and vp do the heavy lifting and giving us just basic chordal pads), and overly aggressive and in-your-face in others. But more than anything, a) the background vocals frequently come off as robotic in their delivery, and b) the assembly often sounds cut-and-pasted. Yes, I realize today's editing and mixing technology allows for that and it may prove most expedient, but I don't personally feel that I should be able to sense and feel that as a listener — especially on an a cappella album. The same is true for more than a few entrances and cutoffs. I expect I can't actually hear this, but some are so clipped/abrupt that they draw attention to their digital manipulation to the point of distraction.

Perhaps, then, some of the "blame" should fall on team of editors and mixers, headed up by the usually reliable co-producer Pablo Vega, including several other proven talents. Then again, as a whole — focusing on the sum, rather than the individual parts — the album sounds terrific, even if not as human as I might prefer. And maybe that's an aesthetic choice by the group rather than the producer. Tough to know for sure.

I should also note that "feel" issues still do show themselves now and again — which is a problem this group has had before and one I feel like I'm hearing more and more often, of late in general, especially from collegiate groups. Not everything needs a more complicated backbeat than the original (see: Speechless). When the song starts somewhat introspective and/or contemplative, give me exquisite pianos and pianissimos — hell, I'll even take a controlled mezzo-forte — and chill out on your busy aca-syllables before you build to your crushing fortissimos and "jing jing-dah-ding"s (see Lights Up).

And yet — which is how I closed my review of blank canvas — the whole here is indeed good enough that if you dig the repertoire being offered, you'll probably like the Clefs' take on it, too. It's not revolutionary by any means, but it's still capably rendered and polished to a bright shine — even if a little too artificially so.

The Clefs celebrated their 45th anniversary this spring, which is a stunning achievement — a history filled with many musical milestones plus a very active alumni base supporting the group's longstanding traditions. The Clef Hangers are as relevant today as they ever were.

The Clefs first submitted to RARB in 1995, and I was assigned their work in 2012 with a pretty sassy "Finally!" I was apparently absolutely smitten with my assignment to review House Rules because I had the following to say: "I have never heard such exceptional phrasing and expression and musicality and just everything perfect and vulnerable all at once from a collegiate group." Even today, my Spotify playlist is absolutely stacked with my favorite Clefs' songs — all those hits on Crazy Train from BOCA 2006? That's me; I rock out to that all the blessed time. So yeah, I can really and equally get behind a Clef Hangers ballad or their hard rock.

But neither the heart-on-their-sleeve emotion or wild-eyed energy showed up on Lost Files. This release is not memorable and likely won't make a big permanent dot on the Clefs' timeline, and as an ultra fan, it's hard to sit with.

The first three tracks (half the release) suffer from the same fundamental issue: a stiff sound and repetitive, easy to memorize arrangements. Taste of You offers these issues and adds essentially the same drum pattern from start to finish with little variance anywhere in this chart for listener interest. Trampoline at least has audible dynamics, a few twists, and decent layering to build things up, but overall, it's still a pretty straightforward interpretation of the song you know. Speechless is the most robotic, with shaky vocal fundamentals from the backgrounds who start sounding flat on those long notes. Seriously crestfallen.

But then! Frontman Manuel Miranda swoops in to save the day on Good Thing. His zip and panache finally infuse personality into this release. His backup singers also sound engaged and the song drives to its end with purpose. Lights Up follows with an uneven effort: it's got a thick, sparkly sound in the verses, but the choruses are rather monotonous with more pitch insecurity. What is happening? Finally, the Clefs of yore arrive for On and On, a fascinating interpretation of a near-folk song. There's a steady undercurrent to push forward, lots of mood and atmosphere, a sensitive balance across parts, and a unified ensemble. We're leaning in to listen and enjoy, but now it's over.

Lost Files didn't make a lasting impression on me, but the Clef Hangers certainly have. I'll simply queue up the oldies and wait for the next round.

Longtime tenor-bass a cappella group The Clef Hangers from the University of North Carolina has released a new EP, Lost Files. The title and the album art evoke the "lost" years of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an assorted collection of music "files," drawing attention to the electronic medium of music recording and streaming. This latter connotation especially comes through on an album where the ensemble performs a range of musical genres, but also lacks a cohesive musical sound due in large part to production choices.

From beginning to end, I can't help but notice the mixing and editing choices of Lost Files made by Pablo Vega and team. At times these very audible effects work well, such as on Taste of You and On and On, delineating the layers of the arrangement for the listener and adding to the sonic experience. Lights Up is more of a mixed bag: the mixing distracts rather than helps — the whole track sounds muddy — but it is the correct sound world for a Harry Styles cover. The other three tracks all suffer under the weight of the effects that take away from the group's musicality rather than adding to or highlighting it. I find Speechless particularly grating because the filter to make the background voices sound more electronic and instrumental strongly clashes with the less-affected soloist and backup singers. The over-reliance on mixing and effects leaves me wondering: what's the actual sound of the group? This is a question I shouldn't have after hearing six tracks.

The sound and musicality is muddled not only by the effects but also by the performances. The blend and energy of the Clef Hangers on Matt Goldstein's arrangement of Taste of You is sonically scrumptious: a fantastic first course. But the second course, Trampoline (also arranged by Goldstein), and the other four tracks lack that same musical spark. They could all benefit from more dynamic contrast and small swells, sharper articulations, and a more cohesive blend all heard on the first track, though Good Thing has some good moments in the back half of the track.

While the overall album may have struggles, a few of the soloists should be applauded. Everest Chew, Silas Nuernberger, and Eddie Sanders create trio magic with their harmonies during On and On. Jabril Rice's version of Allen Stone's Taste of You is spot-on, though I wanted to hear more improvisation and high notes before the final fifteen seconds (because it is so good!). Manuel Miranda gives 110% on Good Thing and that energy saves what could have been a plodding chart. Their invidiual performances and the group's as a whole show a lot of promise for the future of these a cappella stalwarts.