Rad Trads, On
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If you like your music big
and robust, the Rad Trads are for you. This Brooklyn-based quintet has been
billed as "The Band meets Miles Davis." The vibe is much more Band
than Miles, but Davis gets tossed at them because two Rad Trad members—Patrick
Sargent and Michael Fatum—air it out on sax and trumpet respectively. If you're
a concert hound, you may have seen these folks open for acts such as Buddy Guy,
Lake Street Dive, and The Lone Bellow, but they are worthy of headlining on
their own. Take a listen to tracks such as "Wishing Well" or GoodLuck Unto 'Ya" and you'll start thinking of Levon Helm, though "My
Place" is more like funk rock. My favorite track is "Thumbtack,"
with an opening early 60s feel and drum sticks banging on rims. It doesn't stay
in that groove; the horns make sure of that. The overall vibe is NOLA rock. But maybe we ought to call this
mélange rock, as the Rad Trads serve up everything from soul to jazz to
psychedelia. ★★★★
Alex Fry, Taste
of Eden
Alex Fry has bounced from LA
to New York and back to her home turf in Arkansas. Taste of Eden is a collection of songs that document her journeys,
as well as stuff such as love, loss, and feminism. Of the last of these, check
out, "Superhero Girl" with its declaration, "I'm going to save
the world." Fry calls herself an indie artist. In her case, it's the
pop end of that spectrum. At her finest, her tones are vaguely reminiscent of a
young Nanci Griffith. You'll hear traces of this in her piano-based
"Anchor," a fragile, pretty song. "Fool" is more soulful,
though the project's dominant mood is, as noted, indie pop. For my money, her
lovely voice showcases best on quiet material. ★★★
Brotherly, The Bound
First things first: Don't
confuse this Nashville-based ensemble with a British duo of the same name.
Brotherly is Dale and DJ Liscomb, siblings that drifted apart after their
father's death, but reconnected years later. They are sometimes compared to
Weezer, though their vocals are stronger and the music generally has more
distinct melodies. "Bound Stripped Down but Not Out" probes some of
the dark times each has had: "We slip/We fall/I'm down." This is a
song that begins as quiet as a museful folk song but builds with increasingly
heavier bass lines and fuzzed out guitar. That's also the formula on "I
Don't Want to Know," which gets rock out noisy. "My God" also
features crunch chords, though this one could be toned down a bit, as the
lyrics are lost in the mix. I listened to it several times and am still not
entirely sure what it's about. But we sure can hear the brotherly bond on The Bound. ★★★
NOTE: The link to the EP is above. The Liscombs might consider choosing a band name. It's quite a slog to find them online as Brotherly, and the way things work these days, if you're not online....
Ferdinand the Bull, Painting Over Pictures
Perhaps some of you grew up
with the children's book or cartoons devoted to Ferdinand the Bull, the horned
bovine who'd rather pick flowers than fight. Now that you're older, you can
enjoy an indie band of that name that's been around since 2013? FTB has a new
recording, Painting Over Pictures,
the band's most ambitious project to date. This Pennsylvania-bred, Midwest-based
quartet is built around the lyrics, lead vocals, and acoustic guitar of Nick
Snyder, and the mandolin, electric guitar, and harmonies of Bryce Radideau. The
new record also tosses in some cello, percussion, and even some horns. FTB is
sometimes compared to Arcade Fire or the Avett Brothers, though Iron and Wine
is probably a better fit. Call it a mix of indie and contemporary folk. Give a
listen to "4:30 am," "New England,"
and "Susannah." I picked these three to see if you agree with my
assessment. I saw a short set of FTB and have listened to the new record and
back catalogue stuff. I like this band, but a lot of their repertoire is hard
to replicate on stage. ★★★ (Compare the last song to this version.)
Rob Weir
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