As you listen to this playlist, you get a strong sense that McHale is a songwriter by nature. It’s not the genre or the style that grabs you, it’s the ideas, and the weight and passion with which they are presented
Folk Rock
While the sound of this project has a fairly classic feel by nature, there are several ideas that offer something a little left of the expected. Anderson’s story telling & his own honesty & often vulnerability fuse beautifully to lead the listener through a series of deeply thoughtful, poetic moments.
By the latter half, the beat hits and the guitars take over – an atmospheric, organic ambiance rains down around you. It feels mellow yet also uplifting, as if you’re sitting peacefully on-board a fast train; the world speeding by just outside.
Smooth & strong vocals lead the way, drawing you over initially with a spacious, near-acoustic musicality – a gorgeous guitar part – and a series of lyrics that paint a picture of overcoming & moving forwards.
Sack Of Lions offer that beautifully wholesome Americana sound with a folk-rock back-bone that allows them to really pour their souls into what they do. For those who are new to the band’s music, Callin’ For Rain is a great place to start. The song feels immediately organic, a real-time performance or at least as close as you can get from the other side of the globe.
A uniquely crafted release that offers plenty in the way of originality among today’s music world. The retro style is oddly refreshing and you can feel the organic nature of the performance and thus appreciate that a live show would go down in a fairly similar fashion.
“I was told I couldn’t sing, that I wasn’t good enough on guitar & that I sucked as a musician. Each time I was told I wasn’t good enough I tried harder, to the point where I have evolved into the artist I am now. Now I make music for the love.”
Ed Hale is a fantastic songwriter – this album is driven by a fine fusion of this and a totally enjoyable, eclectic and impressive array of musicianship. Hale’s voice offers a certain meeting between indie-rock grit and singer-songwriter delicacy, the songs feel upbeat but calm – energizing yet welcoming.
Baker’s voice, and indeed the additional vocal snippets that accompany it, brings listeners a sense of vulnerability & confidence intertwined. It’s as if there’s absolute adoration at work – alongside of a sheer need to create music & express the feeling through art.
As a songwriter, Palko paints a picture from his own meandering viewpoint – telling stories but always still seeming reflective & personal in his presentation of them. His experience as an artist & musician is clear, and this, his ninth studio album, is one that’s easily worth the time it takes to experience.
The way the band have structured this – the details, the changing sections – it showcases a thoughtful writing process in line with a shared ability to perform with passion and precision combined.
“I was addicted to codeine for 15 years. That doesn’t give me any more or any less right to write about those things, but why shouldn’t I? I’m making art, and often, art is not pretty. Not pretty, but still beautiful.”