Raised Right Men - E.P
A wee gem from Raised Right Men Discovering new music is an oddly appealing phenomenon. Songs can sneak up on you when you least expect them. You might be on the bus, at a café, or yodeling at goats on a Welsh mountainside, and then all of a sudden you hear it... somewhere nearby someone is strumming a song/blasting a beat/lilting a lullaby. You listen for a moment. There’s something about that rhythm, its melody, and the attitude resonates with you. With unbridled enthusiasm you exclaim “Golly gee wilikers, dat's ma jam!” (or words to that effect) then rush off to find out more about the artist(s). With this in mind dear readers, I present the debut E.P. from Raised Right Men for your musical consideration and discovery. Raised Right Men are a Southland-based trio comprised of Jacob Bielski on vocals and guitar, Connor Ormsby on bass and Josh Munro on guitar. Inspired by and named after a 2011 Tom Waits song, the band has a unique and compelling sound, their music ranging from angst-gospel to grizzly-blues to experimental-folk. The opening track These Sounds (written by Bielski) is a solid introduction to the band. It features a catchy melody, passionately emotive lyrics, and a lush roomy reverb that gives the track a whiskey-soaked jilted-lover serenading an empty bar feel. The song shows off some great dynamics building up towards a pinnacle of anguish before coming full circle at the end, with defeated vocals poignantly slurring “I don’t feel a thing”. The second song Macabre Interlude (written by Munro) is a sleazy and menacing instrumental that evokes dark images of outlaw biker gangs and mafia gangsters at some dank and grimy inner-city bar. Want some mean slide guitar and nasty grungy bass? Connor and Josh are your (raised right) men. The band’s last track, Where the Flowers Grow is a personal favorite. Here the vocals really stand out, with Bielski’s powerful and primal doomed-soul-scream being accompanied by a stomping chain (yes a literal chain) as percussion. Very cool to watch this when they play live. The song then evolves with sparse but effective guitar and bass joining the vocals to take the listener to a deep-dark place (the best kind of journey). The E.P., well recorded and mixed by Teina Strongman and RRM bass player Connor Ormsny, sounds dark and moody - absolutely perfect for the band's vibe. Keep an eye on these guys and catch them live before they fly away to take on the Dunedin scene next year! Places you can find them Spotify & Facebook Reviewed by ELEMENTNZ |
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