tracklisting
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description
The Quarter After -- The Quarter After (Bird Song): A really well done collection of Byrdsy tunes with psychedelic trappings. Fans of bands like The Waxwings and The Grip Weeds will definitely want to snap this up. The disc contains some pretty and direct numbers, but this band is at its best when it simply cuts loose. "Taken" is a tour-de-force that breaks down into a lengthy instrumental section with impassioned ragged guitar soloing being matched by a hotly strummed acoustic guitar and Nelson Bragg’s powerful yet steady drumming. This middle section goes beyond the ‘60s parameters that typify the band’s work and moves into territory occupied by such great artists like Neil Young and Crazy Horse and Eleventh Dream Day. Of course, a whole album of this nature would...well, it would be great, but probably exhausting to listen to. The Quarter After has a variety of tempos and temperatures that build to "Taken", the penultimate song on the disc. "Always Returning" is simply wonderful, with a strong lead guitar line and a great call-and-response vocal in the chorus. Again, Bragg’s creative drumming just adds to the delights on this ace folk-rock number. Equally impressive is "Mirror to You", featuring excellent three part harmony vocals on a sleepy country ballad. There’s a spooky steel guitar crying in the background that adds to the atmosphere. Much like The Waxwings on their debut, The Quarter After can conjure up sounds like Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Stone Roses at the same time, as their harmonies mesh with a more psychedelic bent. This coalesces on the 12 minute track "Too Much to Think About", where guitarists Dominic (who is also the lead singer) and Robert Campanella unleash an array of sounds. The liner notes point out that the basic instruments were recorded live with no tweaking whatsoever, and when you hear the brilliance of the band on this track, you might want to organize a petition drive to make them come to your town and perform live. This is an extremely impressive debut album, and certainly one of the best releases of 2005.
--Mike Bennett, Fufkin.com |
click here for a streaming preview of the entire album in full!