Skip to main content

ALBUM REVIEW: The Drunken Hearts' Love & Thirst


Words By Derek Miles (Miles Photography)

As of May 6th, Colorado’s very own Drunken Hearts have released a new batch of songs on an EP the band has aptly titled, Love and Thirst. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Rob Eaton at Immersive Studios in Boulder, CO and Silo Sound Studios in Denver, CO and mastered by David Glasser of Airshow Inc. in Boulder, CO.

Having only seen this band live a handful of times, I was eager to hear their studio sound. Andrew McConathy’s vocals and songwriting are what give this band such a distinct identity. The themes and imagery of the songs on Love and Thirst are pure, focused, and just what you would want out of a contemporary country rock band. Labels aside however, the band truly exhibits a proud command over their music while paying homage to the influences that have guided them.

The album kicks off with an upbeat track titled “Happy,” which muses upon the journey of a happy and fulfilled life. The song bustles along to the steady driving rhythm of drummer Alex Johnson, not unlike the heartbeat of a romantic traveler as he looks to the future for inspiration. Cody Russel’s pedal steel interweaves with banjo, fiddle, and electric guitars creating a rich harmonic texture for the vocals to ride on.

The entire album shines with a well balanced mix and dynamic, 70’s Allman-esque guitar harmonies. That being said, you can definitely tell this album was mixed, recorded and produced by a guitar player. Some songs have over five separate guitar tracks/overdubs including: acoustic guitar, two to four electric guitars of varying tones, and pedal steel guitar. Yet, the mix is impressively clear considering all of the different tracks and instruments. However, the guitar-centric nature of the album is by no means a bad thing, it is rock music after all.

The title track “Love and Thirst” brings the band’s namesake into the spotlight with a longing, sullen mood but is hopeful in overall tone. It evokes the struggle of love on the road; doing what you love while leaving a loved one behind – the reality of a touring musicians’ plight. The song features some nice melodic arrangements and is certainly a standout track of the bunch.

“Highs” is probably the most varied track on the album. It begins light, mid tempo, with a more or less standard feel. The groove of the song then changes near the middle to something reminiscent of a String Cheese Incident tune with added percussion and muted island-like guitar riffs. The song then proceeds to a heavier, minor jam segment and finishes out instrumentally.

You can really hear Rob Eaton Junior’s contribution on this album. His guitar lines and harmonies really standout on these songs, giving the appropriate character to the different moods of each track. A highlight guitar solo comes through on the second to last track “Under the Sun” – a burning lead over a latin-tinged rhythm. Jon McCarten really pushes this one along on bass as well.

Love and Thirst is a solid effort. It is enjoyable from end to end. The album has great flow, which can sometimes be an overlooked component when choosing the running order of songs. As a relatively young band, these gentlemen are surely on the upswing of their musical career together. They show confidence and promise while always being a fun band to listen to, always danceable yet reflective and passionate. The Drunken Hearts continue to push the limits of a contemporary edge while remaining thematically traditional and true to soulful country rock.

www.thedrunkenhearts.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Livetronica Sampler 3.22.11

Words by Greg Molitor ( ReMIND Photography ) Ozric Tentacles This British group has proven innovative throughout the years offering a space-rock meets psytrance sound that remains alive to this day. Though never having a major record label, Ozric Tentacles has produced 28 albums of diverse psychedelia throughout its career. The band met at the Stonehenge Free Festival in 1983 and truly fathered livetronica music with its use of sequencers and synthesizers. Simply put, there would be no livetronica without Ozric Tentacles. www.ozrics.com Octopus Nebula Colorado’s Octopus Nebula has certainly hit its stride as of late with its constant touring and increased festival interest. The group expands on the deep sounds of highly regarded acts such as STS9 and Shpongle but also carves a path of its own with its fresh takes on synthesizer tones and sampling in the live setting. Octopus Nebula Live at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on March 26, 2010. <--- Direct Archive Link www.octopus

Buckethead: Gimmick or Guitar God?

Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( phatphlogblog.blogspot.com ) At what point does the gimmick overshadow the performance? The obvious answer is Buckethead. The man is an amazing guitarist but something is not right in this world. The idea a performer who dons a KFC chicken bucket on his head for a concert has always intrigued me, and some of his side projects such as Colonel Claypool’s Bernie Bucket of Brains have been huge successes. However his performance last weekend in Fort Collins simply left me perplexed. From his robotic dancing, to his nunchuck display, to the fact the he performed with an iPod rather than a band all added to my confusion. Going into the show I was ready to be blown away, despite rumblings of disgruntled fans from the previous night’s show at The Gothic. Buckethead had had some sound issues and some missed cues in Denver but I was still trying to be positive for the show in Fort Collins. It did go off without a hitch technically but that was the least

The Origin of MusicMarauders

Words By J-man "What should I name this fucking thing?" I asked myself in the midst of a joint in my Upstate, NY apartment. "It's got to be something with just 'Music'in the title. Nothing more specific than that, as we'll be covering a wide variety of genres." One more drag on the joint yielded the memory of driving down Woodward Ave. in Detroit, listening to Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders. "MusicMarauders! That's it... It completely encompasses what we do in the sense the we are 'maraudering' or 'pillaging' for music," I thought as I stared out of the window at about three and a half feet of fresh Upstate snow. First things first, the domain had to be registered. "Do I have ten dollars in my account?" I thought to myself from a position of just scraping by. Pulling out my shiny, rarely used debit card, I put it to the test and was able to secure MusicMarauders.com. "What's next?" I