RIYL: Stone Temple Pilots, No Doubt, Radiohead
San Francisco quintet the New Up abandoned the album format with 2008’s Broken Machine EP, the first in a series of three EPs the band began working on with producer Jaimeson Durr (Dan the Automator, Chickenfoot). Better Off, the second EP in the series, picks up where Broken Machine left off stylistically, while songs like opener “Dear Life” and the title track get some extra breathing room with looser, more swinging drums and percussion than before. While all five of the EP’s songs are solid, well-crafted tunes, the title track in particular turns out to be the real earworm on the disc. With a useful “be thankful for what you got” type of philosophy, a powerful vocal from Emily Pitcher, an unforgettable chorus and cherry-on-top flute melody from Hawk West, “Better Off” stands out as a formidable rocker and perhaps the best song in the band’s catalog to date. While it may overshadow the other four tracks on the EP, the remaining tunes nonetheless hold their own and maintain the New Up’s trend of favoring quality over quantity. (The New Up 2009)
After evoking obvious reverence for classic Americana on their self-titled studio debut, the Band of Heathens morph their roots rock regimen with hints of blues, soul and a swampy moan. The allusions to the Band are still there of course – the new album’s “L.A. County Blues,” “What’s This World” and “Look At Miss Ohio” instantly reaffirm those references – but this time around they expand their palate, journeying up the Mississippi with “Golden Calf,” emulating an old-time gospel choir on “Shine a Light” and taking a funky furlough via “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and “Somebody Tell Me The Truth.” Varying the pace from unassuming shuffles to tattered refrains, the group colors the arrangements with rustic embellishment – banjo, Wurlitzer piano, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and forlorn vocals – clearly enhancing the set’s distinct retro feel. An able demonstration of genuine down-home resolve, One Foot in the Ether provides the band taking a sure step forward.
