Signal Fire: Ignite

   It would be foolish to say that every band’s inception is directly followed by a moment when the members decide what sort of music they’ll play. In truth, most trios, four-pieces and quintets need time to learn their niche. Craving legitimacy within the chosen genre is natural. Establishing said legitimacy is another story.

   Groups like Signal Fire transcend because they seem to skip these harrowing steps. It’s as though they’re meant to create a specific sound, one that perfectly fits the category and guides it forward at the same time. At least that’s the view from afar.

   In reality Sean Gregory’s gang has been grinding it out on the Reggae-Rock scene for years. Somewhere between dozens of shows, festivals and a thick hazy atmosphere, Signal Fire found time to release their first LP, Ignite.

   Frankly a fantastic product, Ignite is both smooth and gritty, inspiring yet mellow. Reggae chops are apparent at every stage, but these jefes don’t hesitate to pull out all the tricks. As the all-important opening number ‘Glass Helicopter’ certainly kindles the flame. With lead guitar work that helps the track rise into and beyond its essential rhythms, this song sets the pace for the album.

   Gregory displays credible tone…that right sort of tremor that floats above the backbeat. Cullen Seward (bass) and Ken Forrest (drums) provide that backbeat neatly, but the keys are the true icing to this cake. ‘Long Way Down’ is a taste of Carl Blackmon’s prowess and he continues to shine on the final track ‘Righteous Ones’. Almost blessing the song’s intro with his touch, Blackmon gently applies his own flavor of ‘70s organ throughout.

   Upon such a foundation, great things are built. Every song on this list brings a fresh taste to the ear. ‘In the Night’ feels as close to the category as it gets, but subtle yet powerful guitar keeps rock in the foreground. Enough keys to please here plus a measure of care to leave space for the vocals to swell the center.

   Released in ‘13, Ignite is more than a resume builder. It’s a stamp of achievement, of maturity for a group that truly convinces the ear with their initial offering. In 2016 it is safe to say that the best is yet to come as they look to release a follow up that will be pivotal. With miles beneath their belts and an accessible, versatile sound, Signal Fire’s second album should definitely impress. 

Fuse: Fire, Fire!

   

  Making a real impact on the rock scene was never easy, even when the “n’ roll” part was still obligatory. Cutting through the noisy din that is local music in ’16 requires a band that can focus not only on their strengths, but also on their overall appeal.

   Anyone trying to build on cute gimmicks is destined to become stale in time. Rather than risk obsolescence, Fuse comes out of the gate with a hot, up-tempo LP that is also their first. At times channeling a grungy Guns n’ Roses, Fire, Fire! is an album that refuses to stay in one seat for the entire flight. Jeff Winfrey and Mike Giguere combine to create an enviable range with their guitars that keeps what is most definitely a hard rock album intriguing and nuanced.

   Fuse doesn’t wait to establish their credentials, opening with a bang. The guitar in Angels in the Sky evokes the same pumped up feeling that comes from watching a favorite morning series—familiar but also biting enough to awaken the ear.

   Better High than Dry stays powered up as the lead strings lend a metal-inspired zest and refuse to wait on the sidelines until solo time. The riffs and whams sprinkled across this song’s sheet music are what raise it from ‘fits the genre’ to ‘is the genre’.

   Rather than keeping things in the far left lane, Bro Morgan and company dial back a beat with Somewhere in Time. Conjuring something between Authority Zero and late 2000’s radio-ready rock, Fuse introduces their biggest dose of variety mid-way into the album.

   Throughout the record, Morgan builds music and pop culture references into the lyrical structure. While avoiding an obvious timestamp he manages to place Fire, Fire! firmly in the now. It’s a record that feels contemporary while still paying homage to the source material that permeates all American rock.

   Songs like Loose Ends remind a critical ear that Fuse understands that rock n’ roll greatness begins in a bar. Climbing to the top entails targeting an audience, then promptly melting its face off. Winning the live crowd first is a long-proven method for building a band’s chops that Fuse embraces throughout their debut set list. It can be tough to beat a shout-along chorus and an electric riff produced by a capable hand.

   Fuse plans to release their first effort in February. As with any initial work, polish and experience could always come into play. But this is a group with history. Because of and despite that history, Fire, Fire! is an album with teeth that is as at home on stage as it is on the go. Listeners that can appreciate a crunchy, powerful lead axe and a heavy but not quite metal motif should look no further than Fuse.

Late Night Special: Light of the Moon

Songs from yesteryear swirl about the mind's ear when good times are remembered. Yes, every great memory has music as its backdrop. In that way, Light of the Moon could easily be just the wallpaper to someone's future daydream, but it doesn't stop there. Instead Late Night Special delivers an album that whisks the listener away to a cool summer evening and leaves them wondering whether the place they just visited was real.

Light of the Moon is built around a tried and true acoustic guitar, one that benefits from a varied accompaniment and can at the same time be absorbed by it.

A beautiful thing about these songs is that they carry a similar feel through to the finish. In fact, it's as if the band walked into the studio determined to cut an inspired album in an afternoon and remained immaculately focused throughout the process. Everything is clean, but not so clean that it's difficult to picture the group on-stage pouring the same material out across the venue.

'Rock Steady' opens the act with the album's heaviest track and sets a quick pace. But just like all the nights that start on a raucous note, things begin to become a little more pensive as the evening flows on.

'You Got Your Hold on Me' is the nearest thing to a titular track to be found. Vocalist Fred Heintz does a convincing Anthony Kiedis and generates a familiar feel that permeates the entire record. Just enough electric six-string floats around the margins to accentuate the upbeat tempo and keeps everything firmly in the rock genre.

If 'You Got Your Hold on Me' is the most radio-ready item on this list, 'Back Home' best captures the soul of this LP. The song manages to pine for the past but never veers into mopey territory. It also signals a shift to a somewhat slower, more laid back vibe that carries through the remaining tracks. Very necessary harmonica underscores a wholesome jam that again features the lightest sprinkling of an electric guitar that almost sings like Eric Johnson...if he were taking it easy and standing out of the spotlight.

'Oak Tree' does a rare thing: it manages to be touchingly poignant without coming across as pretentious. It tells a good story—one that follows the rest of the record in seeing greener pastures on the other side of the memory fence.

And that is part of what makes Light of the Moon so satisfying: it has no qualms with painting the past as unequivocally idealistic and does so without leaving any impression of a less than perfect present. The album is escapist, to be sure, but there has never been anything wrong with being distracted by the pleasant products of the imagination. 8/10

C2 and the Brothers Reed

Weigh Station Tour: Exit A

   Much like a piece of iron worked and reworked, C2 and the Brothers Reed return tempered and with fewer impurities for Weigh Station Tour: Exit A.

   The six-track EP dating from January 2015 shows that a band with a variety of influences can and should hone their product down to a finer edge. More focused and coherent than 2013's Hot Mess, Exit A goes down smooth. Relying on strong hooks and (thankfully) more keyboard, the first half of the Weigh Station set should please both casual listeners and fans of the group.

   C2BR is a group that, without a doubt, grew up listening to standard classic rock radio offerings. It seems as though they've finally allowed those years of FM training loose with songs that are familiar and fresh. Look no further than 'Sicko', which at once seems like a descendant of Steely Dan; at that same moment its paint drips with more modern swirls—heavy guitar break downs all built over a rhythmic backdrop and a very welcome organ setting on the keyboard.

   'Different Feel' is anything but, as it keeps the flux capacitor set to 1975. An electric wail evokes images of a stadium crowd while finely-tuned, atmospheric keys pull the mind to the stoic end of a Dirty Harry movie. This is number you close with at the end of a strong live show: leave the audience's collective face melted to the floor while leaving an unanswerable question tucked neatly in their subconscious.

   If these tracks feel a little more mainstream when compared to Hot Mess, that's because they are. More pure instrumental work on the power tracks makes for an easier transition to the down-tempo numbers. As they've done with previous work, C2BR is sure to point out that down-tempo can still be up-beat. 'Stereo' tosses out the ivories in favor of an ear-filling echo for a chorus and a twangy lead and bass that cut through to keep the energy high.

   This EP indicates growth and refinement over time for C2 and the Bros. Reed. Weigh Station Tour: Exit A is evidence of that development. Hopefully they won't be in a hurry to release a followup simply for the sake of doing so, because strict schedules rarely produce masterworks. 8/10

C2 and the Brothers Reed: Hot Mess

C2 and the Brothers Reed

Hot Mess

 To take control, everybody knows we'll have to fire some guns. At least that's the attitude of C2 and the Brothers Reed in their debut EP Hot Mess.

 The group walks the gamut from anthem rock riffs to acoustic sit-downs, but never lingers too long on the slower side of things. Those with a thirst that can only be slacked by a heavy handed rhythm and wailing lead get their release within two minutes on the opening track. From there the ride cools off, only to sizzle to completion—picture these guys walking out of the studio with pieces of the mold they've broken crunching underfoot.

 Although we're only graced with nine songs in this release, none of them are throwaways. This reviewer tends to lean toward the rattle and buzz of songs like 'Dead' or the intro track, but C2BR breaks out by differentiating between slow and soft. The tracks 'Secrets' and 'Swear on You', which certainly carry the smoothest edge, provide necessary coolant but avoid the naptime trap that catches many such offerings. Rather than acting as a generic Ambien, 'Secrets' flips the polarity switch, keeping the tempo lively but backing off from the distortion pedal a bit.

 Simply put, it's hard to overlook the variety that this group brings to the ear. Some might point to their latest offering as more refined, and perhaps it is, but those same people should listen to 'Swear on You' and admit that this quintet boasted an impressive range even back in 2013. Cam Clark's vocals cycle from just a shade above gravely bar rocker up to soaring front man heights that fill the mind's ear with half a dozen snippets from hits past.

 This record certainly pleasing to listen to and serves as a great way to better know a band that is certainly on the way up. If you're out to find a new source for rebellious rock that is nuanced enough to crank at your favorite record store, then look no further. Hot Mess 7/10