The Sorts
Six Plus
Luckyhorse
Many moons ago, my roommate Rob and I had The Sorts play in our living room. It was funny. I remember asking the guy in The Sorts (who used to be in Hoover) about being in Hoover, and he was a total asshole about it, but oh well. They rocked the hell out of our little living room, and fun was had by all.
That was back in the winter of ‘97, and The Sorts of today are jazzier and more laid back than the band that played at my house. For the most part, the songs on Six Plus remind me of hippie jam bands like Phish. The guitar tone is really warm throughout the entire record, a very similar tone to that of Tre Anastasio, from the aforementioned band. The bass isn’t as ringy as I remember. Here it has a more muted, thumpy quality to it (again, very Phish-like). What seems to be lacking on Six Plus is a sense of urgency; things are almost too relaxed. It could be that the boys of The Sorts, some of them having been in great bands like the wonderful Hoover, Crownhate Ruin and Rain Like the Sound of Trains, have become (gasp!) stoned out hippies!
I really hope not, but they may as well be. Picture the more liberal frat boys at your local state college; the ones with the hair parted down the middle, who are stoners, but wear Abercrombie hippie wear, thus making themselves acceptable to the regular frat boys; they’re just chillin’, enjoying life and contemplating its more important questions, while the jazzy sounds of The Sorts tickle their burned-out brain cells.
There’s gonna be five kegs at the Sig Ep house this Saturday; be sure to bring this Sorts disc so you and your bros can groove. From Hoover and Crownhate Ruin to this, oh how heroes do fall.
Luckyhorse Industries: http://www.luckyhorseindustries.com/
