Elk City
Hold Tight the Ropes
WARM
A grand surprise, this, the second full-length album from perfect pop/rockers Elk City. Having carved out a small room all of their own, this one sees them expanding their space, and in the process, inviting the listener into their world with wide-open arms. One could at times mistake them for a warmer-sounding up-and-about “straight” rock band, but their scope is so much broader than that would imply, and their base in folk and country is too much in evidence to allow for such a lazy categorization.
One thing is the Rainer Maria-emo of kick-off track “Indiana.” But listen, for instance, to the stunning “Once and for All,” that sees them bringing Dylan and Radiohead together – an unlikely combination for sure, but the result is close to genius. Or how about “Smile,” which is reminiscent of both Leonard Cohen and American Music Club, while remaining something that’s completely their own thing. And then the funky “Football” is something completely different again, as is the hushed, lovely “Athens Botanical,” and the E-Street rush of “Summer Song.” And so on. Improbable, impossible, but here it is. May be the best rock album of the year. So.
WARM Records: http://www.thewarmsupercomputer.com
