URI freshman Kyle Gunning records with his band, Scoot Bandits, who released their full length album this month. PHOTO CREDIT: @scoopbanditsofficial
The music industry continued to impress with monumental releases for the month of February and these are some of my favorites.
English rock band Black County, New Road served some of the best new music I have heard in quite some time. The group flies under the radar in the United States, yet that doesn’t take away from their undeniably skillful technique and storytelling skills.
Their second album, “Ants From Up There,” brought me through a roller coaster of emotions. With rhythm changes, illustrative lyrics and instrumentation, Black County, New Road poured their passion into every measure of this 10 piece collection. Two of their songs are entirely instrumental, yet they still have the same psychic pull as their eloquent songwriting talents. Five of their songs are more than six minutes long, yet my attention to detail never wavered. The band has me hooked.
Their 12-minute epilogue “Basketball Shoes” reaches number one on my ranking. Lead singer Isaac Wood sings “We’re all working on ourselves, and we’re praying that the rest don’t mind how much we’ve changed/ So if you see me looking strange with a fresh style, I’m still not feeling that great.” Something about this song’s longevity and versatility strikes me to the core.
Florence + the Machine released two compilations of previously-released songs which organized her original masterpieces into subcategories. I have listened to her music sparingly in the past, but these new anthologies exposed me to some of her best work.
“Harder Than Hell” and “My Favorite Ghosts” compile Florence + the Machine’s songs into two categories: badass and supernatural, respective to their titles. Again, all of this “new” music has been available for a number of years but had never graced my ears until this re-release. It is artistically challenging to sift through your past work and designate certain works as relatable to one another, and I tip my hat to Florence Welch’s creativity. I pay even more respect and admiration to her vocal supremacy and use of dynamics. I might be late to the game, but I’ve still got a lot to say.
Off of “Harder Than Hell,” I really enjoyed listening to “Bedroom Hymns.” It’s a percussive track with compelling metaphors to sex, religion and identity. Welch flaunts all sides of her musicianship in this song.
I’ve never been one of those people who claim to have “discovered” a band before they hit the spotlight. In fact, I tend to hate those types of people. But, reluctantly, I’ll claim that title for Scoop Bandits, a group from Massachusetts which features University of Rhode Island freshman Kyle Gunning on vocals and lead guitar. Scoop Bandits released their first full-length album “The Finding” this month, and it blew me away. The technique and professionalism of each musician shine through in this collection. Between graceful lyricism and intricate harmonies, “The Finding” re-sparked my everlasting appreciation for up-and-coming musicians. Some of the most authentic, creative music is hidden beyond the headliners and chart-toppers.
My favorite track would have to be “Cardinal.” The slide guitar twang is such a sharp addition to the clever chord placements. I also love the lyric “She asked how I looked in the water that way/ I told her reflections remind me to pray.” Overall, such an impressive collection.
Make sure to check out all of these releases (especially our Rhody student feature,) and keep an eye out for this semester’s first edition of “Our Five Cents,” a podcast presented by The Good 5 Cent Cigar.