Old Californio - Sundrunk Angels

“Cosmic American Music” is what Gram Parsons called his own music. I think the term also fits Sundrunk Angels, the new release by Old Californio. The length of the songs puts them in Jam Band territory. In fact, it is a bit odd that the Jam Band crowd hasn’t widely discovered these guys yet. “Jewels and the Dross” certainly channels the ghost of Jerry Garcia. Old Californio would have fit nicely into the California music scene of the late 60’s and early 70’s, but they are not just a throwback band. Their music intertwines their influences with an original and contemporary approach. They have a strong following in their home state of California and are expanding their fan base eastward. Sundrunk Angels should increase their following in both number and geography.

Songs like “Allon Camerado” start with a mid-tempo hook and then gradually migrate into full on high speed Jam.  It is not uncommon for the studio to fence in a group of improvisational musicians, but that is not the case here. The production of Sundrunk Angels has a live feel no matter if the song has a mellow vibe like the title cut, or an upbeat Country-Rock Jam such as “A Cool Place in the Light”. The time is right to jump on the bandwagon and take a ride.

This Post was first published on Twangville

The Basement - Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs

The Basement generated a lot of hype among the UK press before they released their first album. Early singles hinted at something special and they generated quite a following among fans. For some reason the buzz has been a little slower to build in the US, but they have released their first US CD on Zealous Records, Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs. A recent article in No Depression should help also. The album is an instant classic mixing Americana influenced Roots Rock with British influenced Pop. The songs by the Irish born Liverpool based quartet are infectious. The album bridges a gap between their British and Irish upbringing and Americana Twang. It is evocative of the way Gram Parsons tried to fuse rock and country in his day. In fact you could alter Gram’s description of his own music slightly and call it “Cosmic British-American Music.”

The album starts out with the Alt-Country of “Do You Think Your Moving On.” Other songs like “Summertimes” have more of a Pop style. The Basement is influenced by Old 97s as can be heard on 2 tracks in particular, “When Tomorrow Comes” sounds like Satellite Rides Pop, while “Just a Dream” is redolent of earlier Old 97s. One of the band’s key attributes is the ability to sound upbeat even when using melancholy lyrics.

Check out some of their music:
http://www.zealousrecords.com/thebasementplayer/index.html

This review also appears on: http://twangville.com