Feb 01 2010
Communipaw – Communipaw
Communipaw
Communipaw
Self-Released; 2010
Any time I happen upon a record that I have difficulty describing even to myself, it’s either going to be so crappy that I don’t want to process the music any longer or I’m faced with a batch of high-quality songs that defy easy categorization. And with the self-titled debut record from Communipaw, it’s most certainly the latter. Fronted by strong, but achingly sensitive vocals of Brian Bond, this New Jersey quartet has worked up an intriguing, impressive, and nearly cliché-less mix of alt-country and vintage pop.
Prodigious chunks of Ryan Adams, Being There and Summerteeth era Wilco, and the singer-songwriter stylings of Aaron Sprinkle (Poor Old Lu, Fair) can be heard all over these twelve songs, but the excellent band chemistry allows the guys to establish their own personality. Communipaw is a fun-loving, cohesive record with just enough rough edges and bleeding hearts to let you know that this group has a deep soul. The music is both melancholy (without being morose or tear-in-my-beer) and full of pep (without being annoyingly happy or raucous), and it’s all bolstered by strong, soaring guitar lines with a country-surf feel and lots of pedal/lap steel work.
Cuts like “Take Over,” “Keep Your Eyes On Me,” and “Balzhauf” evince a supple, refined production hand, despite the fact that Bond and crew worked in a host of studios and practice spaces during the making of the record. There’s a deft balance between the rhythm and lead guitars; the drums are strong, but never overpowering; and the various piano and keyboard lines know just when to poke their heads into the mix. Ultimately, Communipaw possesses an insanely high level of potential crossover appeal between the worlds of alt-country, indie-rock, and singer-songwriter fare. More people need to find out about this skillful band.
February 1st, 2010 at 12:27
This post was mentioned on Twitter by dryvetyme: Good Morning! Here is my review of the self-titled debut record from Communipaw – http://is.gd/7tOL3...
February 4th, 2010 at 18:06
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:03