The Americans have a vibe, that\u2019s for sure: echoey, late-night-at-the-bar, live-in-one-take, classicist Americana with a strong melancholy streak. Think Roy Orbison circa 1961 and you\u2019re in the neighborhood\u2014which makes them a walking anachronism in today\u2019s slicked-up, endlessly tweaked-and-Autotuned world.<\/p>\n
The vintage sound remains the essence of this group, but on their sophomore full-length Stand True<\/i> the LA quartet pushes the envelope a bit more, experimenting with variations on their tried and true early-rock two-guitars-bass-and-drums template. The opening title track is somewhat of a walking contradiction, a song of devotion that\u2019s experimental enough to suggest progressive Americana; the fascinating bit is how they invert expectations, powering through the verses only to downshift at the choruses, lending the latter a rather stately feel. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a creative effect, enhanced by lead singer Patrick Ferris\u2019s rockabilly-influenced vibrato and the sharp playing of the entire group\u2014Ferris (vocals, guitar), Zac Sokolow (guitars, organ), Jake Faulkner (bass), and Tim Carr (drums, keys)\u2014 which thoroughly inhabits these dusty, sepia-toned songs. (My guess is that Ferris and Sokolow are fans of Explosions In The Sky and\/or Friday Night Lights<\/i>, as there\u2019s a lot of that reverb-heavy, shimmery guitar work.)<\/p>\n
\u201cBorn With A Broken Heart\u201d is a strong number, smoldering along and executing another interesting acceleration \/ deceleration with especially nice work from the rhythm section. \u201cGive Way\u201d is where a more modern influence creeps in, with a touch of Gaslight Anthem in the big-boned chorus, even as the vocals maintain that 1961 vibe. The blues make an appearance with \u201cThe Day I Let You Down,\u201d at least on the verses, and then \u201cFarewell\u201d advances the clock to 1965-ish Bob Dylan, complete with wheezy organ.<\/p>\n
Halfway through, \u201cGuest Of Honor\u201d shifts gears and tone with fast-paced acoustic number before the boys ease into \u201cRomeo,\u201d a dusty rambler featuring little flares of guitar, developing by the third minute into a punchy rocker. \u201cSore Bones\u201d is the first time the band breaks fully out of their standard template, matching fat, feedback-y guitar with modern, clattery electronic percussion before it bleeds into live drums; it\u2019s a different feel and a heavier sound that works here. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Would I Do\u201d is more traditional, an airy, bluesy ballad with lilting chords that nicely sets up \u201cOrion,\u201d a hard-charging rocker that\u2019s among the album\u2019s highlights. Finally, closer \u201cHere With You\u201d delivers a slow, keening blues that captures that smoky barroom end-of-the-evening feel to a t.<\/p>\n
Lyrically, Stand True<\/i> offers a three-course meal of brooding melancholy that rivals Chris Isaak or Orbison, both clearly influences. If that fits your mood, this album has much to offer in its sorrowful grooves and anguished choruses. Personally, I was more intrigued by the tracks where The Americans stretch the mold a bit. They\u2019ve succeeded in capturing that vintage rock sound beautifully\u2014now the question is, can they continue to evolve it? I\u2019ll be listening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":34907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[10100],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-46774","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-the-americans","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/46774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/46774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=46774"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=46774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}