I’m a real sucker for catchy music like this, tunes that will have your feet tapping and singing along to their infectious melodies. So when I received this album for review - I just had to do it.
In six songs and twenty-five and a half minutes,
Midday Moonlight treats the listener to a brand of nearly perfectly executed blues rock. It has a great variety of sounds, electric blues, delta, americana and just good old rock and roll, and yet they all fit Blackbird Hill. As you listen to each track, you'll find it hard to pick a clear favourite. All of the songs are equally good. The guitar hooks are where it's at. There's a lot of really bouncy riffs that sound like they’d make for a big, sweaty blast of fun in concert. The drumming is simple, yet masterful and ripe with subtle technique.
The EP starts out fantastic with
Trigger Law. A song that channels the spirit of Jimi Hendrix with its raucous riffs and an almost hip-hop sounding drum beat. It's hard to get this out of your head for the rest of the day. Next up is
Horseback Sight. It's a mellow, moody song that hits all the right notes. The third number,
Run Like Mad, is an energetic song that is very simple and straightforward, but also probably the catchiest number on the record.
Stories From The Road shows that the band is able to stretch a song out to without losing any steam or having those listening lose interest, as even at eight minutes, it's as captivating at the end as it is at the beginning. Second to last is
Hold Your Fire, which is a catchy, upbeat and sweet track. The very first few bars, the intro to this song, reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth's
Cool Thing. Then comes the final track,
Midday Moonlight. This gorgeous song begins with a slamming opening chord that is catchy and resonant. It has the most passionate vocal performance on the album. Also, the fuzz dial here is obviously set to '11'!
With so many bands trying so hard to do something new, it's nice to have a duo like Blackbird Hill to prove that good old-fashioned blues rock can still beat the socks off any trendy new style.
Midday Moonlight has its flaws but it is certainly a great effort.
