At the very second I am writing this it is pouring rain in Tennessee, cars are rushing by and a loud plane is flying overhead. It’s like a momentary metaphor for how I’ve felt all week: overwhelmed. It’s been a week full of darkness and light for my friends, for me it’s almost as if time has been standing still. In the end, it’s all good however, because I’ve had some amazing music to listen too.
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There was a simpler musical time, say 50 years ago, before rock n’ roll and country split and become estranged brothers. Careless Hearts still straddles this divide, beating out twangy, folk-infused rock. The rhythm and the tune bore down into the heart of country, the guitar pulls it back into modern rock n’ roll, and the lyrics are folktastic (though entirely evoking the dusty rural country life of America, rather than some citified folk rock). The Hearts boys are out with their sophomore effort, Heart’s Delight, and I couldn’t be more delighted with the results.
The Magpies website proclaims them to be indiefolkrockrevivalist in genre, and since I find that to be a pretty apt description, I’m not going to bother to think up another. True, these guys will rock your face off if given half a chance, but their musicality keeps them from being swept neatly into the “rock” category. More than anything, they are deft storytellers and as such, they neatly sidestep the cliché traps of the indie rock and singer/songwriter genres to create something wholly their own. Between the solid rhythm section, the maniacal genius of Justin Gorski’s piano playing, and the soulful, whiskey-rough edge of Roger Hoover’s vocals, you aren’t given much of a choice but to sit up and pay attention. The Magpies are one of those rare bands that are both musically and lyrically brilliant, and their newest album, Eastern Standard Time showcases this beautifully.
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