Central Falls
Love and Easy Living
Truckstop
Central Falls’ Love and Easy Living doesn’t stray far from Wilco’s original goal of country-plus-“experimentalism.” However, where Jeff Tweedy sought out and tacked on his outside influences until he changed his music entirely, Adam and Ben Vida slip their post-rock pedigrees (US Maple and Town & Country, respectively) into the standard verse-chorus-verse structure, letting them expand and breathe throughout the slow-burning ’70s sounds. Intertwined acoustic guitars snake in and out from the sturdy drum and bass, while organs and the occasional horn string the songs along, preventing them from getting anchored down for too long. There’s a languorous, unhurried quality to the songs that break the five-minute mark, extending into improvisation, but still reined in enough to lead to an appropriate conclusion. It’s hard to find an upbeat moment, but it’s peaceful nonetheless.
“Don’t Concern Yourself” rolls by in the same groove Fleetwood Mac perfected. Later, “Falling Silver” and “Wrapped Up in Gold” revisit the precious metal themes of Neil Young. Lyrically, Brother Adam’s tales of rejection and loneliness are akin to a post-breakup Lindsey Buckingham solo album. Or maybe just “Go Your Own Way” reiterated nine times over. In any case, while these songs might not break any new ground or outshine the progenitors of this sound, it’s still nice to hear songs in this vein of which classic rock radio hasn’t completely sucked the life.
Truckstop Records: http://www.truckstoprecords.com/ • Central Falls: http://www.centralfallsmusic.com/
