A Grunge Infused Alt. Country Album That Will Blow Your Mind!
Rocking Magpie
Posted On February 3, 2017
For no apparent reason I don’t actually own any of the Sadies previous 9 albums, but have seen them play live…..a show that is in my Top 10 of all time and sticks in my mind because the Good Brothers took to the stage in pale blue Nudie suits and proceeded to blow the roof of the Cluny.
My ears nearly exploded and my eyes nearly popped out of head halfway through opening track Riverview Mirror.
WOW!
The rolling ‘twang’ of the guitars aligned to some luscious harmonies instantly took me back to those heady days when I first discovered Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds and of course Gram Parsons esq.
Things hot up on the following track Another Season Again; which is a tightly coiled slice of Garage-Punk but still stays stoutly within Alt. Country territory and had me clenching my fists and headbanging along to the beat…maaaan! Something I haven’t done for many a year.
Honestly; by track #5 The Elements Song, where the guitars tentatively enter ‘psychedelic’ territory; I was smiling like a ninny and furiously scribbling down notes so as not to miss any of my initial feelings.
As Above, So Below features some delicious 12 string guitar picking and again the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield spring to mind; but this is very much The Sadies in 2017 and not a homage to the 60’s in any shape or form.
There is the feeling of unbridled freedom in the playing and lyrics throughout Northern Passages; especially on songs like Questions I Never Asked and There Are No Words, which is chock full of fuzzy guitars and a drum beat straight from the pits of Hell.
Selecting a favourite track hasn’t been easy as each song has it’s own merits; but I will point you to either God Bless The Infidels, with its Urban-Hillbilly Swing or the Country-Grunge of It’s Easy (Like Walking) featuring Kurt Vile on guest vocals; but you could stick a pin in and find your very favourite song of all time and I wouldn’t disagree with you.
I first received this disc two months ago and have been sitting on it like a man with a secret; desperate to let the world know of its existence; but had too many other albums to review near their deadlines; but The Sadies have been my palette cleanser in between; playing this album loudly in the car (first thing in the morning and late at night) as well as ‘for pleasure’ while reading a magazine or the newspaper…..and it works well in every setting.
Released February 10th 2017
#This review was first published on The Rocking Magpie website. https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/
