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Blotto
Singles Collection 2004-2007 |
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Tracklist |
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01 - Surfing Baby
02 - Love Fire
03 - Cranberry Classic |
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Review |
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The Emeralds are doing what few rock bands are doing nowadays: rolling. "Rock and roll" seems like a concept lost in the annals of oldies radio. Many blame the progressive rock and arena rock movements for the mysterious death of roll, which eschewed the simplistic in favor of the bombastic. Sure, we have punk, the original answer to rock and roll lost, but that's evolved into an entirely different beast, with more ridiculous subgenres than can possibly be imagined.
Fortunately in this day and age we have bands like the Emeralds. The Emeralds like to rock. The Emeralds like to roll. More importantly, the Emeralds like to rock and roll without a lot of punk filler. Their latest offering, Surfing Baby, is no exception, featuring three songs full of swinging basslines, thumping beats, and straightforward guitar solos aimed at getting listeners to tap their feet and possibly dance. While far from being the pinnacle of musical innovation, the CD succeeds in this goal. However, the title track is easily outshined by "Love Fire." The song creatively juxtaposes instrumental verses with vocalized choruses, packing quite a punch.
Also of note is the fact that the Emeralds are a three piece band, and prefer to sound like three pieces, giving them a raw quality while still allowing enough room for all of the instruments to shine. Too many so-called three piece bands these days prefer to employ dual guitar parts, so it's refreshing to see this rarity.
In short, Surfing Baby is an enjoyable release that harkens back to the rock and roll era with a bit more modern distortion. Perhaps the only caveat this reviewer has is that the latest offering is too short. A couple more songs would have been a nice companion to their previous Talk About Love. Let's just hope this leads to a full length. |
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