“I wear my heart on my sleeve, I used to loose it on the breeze,” muses singer-songwriter Sally Seltmann on “I Tossed A Coin”. Seltmann’s lyrics play like entries in her diary gently evoking the spirit of a coffee house or poetry reading above warm and whimsical instrumentation that serves mainly as background.
Seltmann has a long pre-history leading up to this release. She co-wrote the hit “1234” performed by Feist and later the Muppets. That’s when she went by the moniker New Buffalo, which leaned towards atmosphere-laden shoe-gaze. Not what you hear on Heart That’s Pounding, which has replaced her past with a direct, traditional kind of light pop-rock that you might hear in a feel-good romantic comedy.
Hailing from Australia, she enlists the producing talents of Francois Tetaz who has worked with the likes of Architecture In Helsinki and Lior. “Harmony To My Heartbeat” is the lead off single, with a humble verse that builds to a piano driven chorus anthem. On “Set Me Free,” Seltman dreams of love over a show tune inspired piano march that plays like a gay parade of yesteryear.
Heart That’s Pounding is full of summery tones, emotional honesty, and optimism. In the title track, Sally sings “I want to feel a heart that’s pounding, I want to hear a beat that’s sounding, bigger than a leap that’s bounding, I was lost but now you found me.” She wants a world full of life, feeling, and ultimately love. Some may find Seltmann cheesy and sentimental. It certainly far too cleanly produced to have anything to do with current trends towards what’s considered “summery”. Save her for a sunny spring day, anyway.
