Everything, Now!
Hideout Mountain
*** out of *****
The first album in thirteen years from the Indianapolis, IN based Everything, Now! is a mix of the pessimistic with dashes of optimism as the group navigate life and loss around folk rock and fuzzy guitars. Hideout Mountain has a lot going on during the twelve tracks presented here, as the group tries out different sounds and expresses a range of feelings.
Opening with the easy strumming "I Know", the five piece core band (Jon Rogers - Vocals, Guitars, Keys, Percussion, Toys, Drew DeBoy - Keys, Percussion, Toys, Allen Bannister - Guitars, Percussion, John Muylle - Bass, Vocals, Keys, Harmonica, Percussion, Toys, Bryan Unruh - Drums, Percussion, Keys) use layers of sound in pop rock fashion, reminding of late era Tom Petty with acoustic strums and odd sounds mixed in.
The band's lyrics are best classified as 'Hopefully Depressed', well aware of the bleak surroundings and pains of life, yet they still solider on. They are at their best when they channel some midwestern alt/Americana in the vein of Wilco on tracks like "The Same War" (which expertly deploys brass) and the folk strumming with natural embellishment of "Gotta Go Now".
The band finds roots rock success in the both the hip-swinging-during-the-end-of-times of "Someone's Light" and and slow rolling album closer "One Commercial Hit" which uses some vibrant saxophone work from Alex Dura. "The Dark Place" is sluggish by design with wooly riffs and a monster guitar solo outro while "USA Beef No. 51" incorporates violins from Joe Fawcett.
When the band tries to get their Rolling Stones inspired rock and roll strut on via "Magic Mountain" things drag even though all the ingredients are there, while "The Evil One" misses the mark by over doing it with odd dance synths and too many ideas. Better is "Investment Banker" which is an off-kilter rocker in the vein of The Replacements.
The best tune on the album is "All My History" which manages to combine all of the bands quirky influences and deliver them in a condensed package. The track starts distorted and spacey before locking in with a country twang and shuffling drum beat before becoming hugely dramatic with a swelling finale that pumps with trumpet, soaring guitars and keys while admitting there is no direction home; a winner all around.
Lots of big ideas and mixed emotions color Everything, Now!'s newest release Hideout Mountain, capturing the current times uncertainty.
____________
No comments:
Post a Comment