Classic rock n' roll has had a long reign, but the Outer Banks-based Matthew Shadley Band is here to show that the allure is from in the rearview.
Helmed by multi-instrumentalist Matthew Shadley Brauer, the band emerged from Cincinnati's vibrant music scene in 2003, but their sixth album, Preternatural Dreams, marks a distinct, Buffalo Springfield-reminiscent shift that embraces the edge once hinted toward in their folk-rock origins.
After playing regional tours and acclaimed festivals like Roots and Rock and Festivus Maximus, the group took hiatus in 2008 after releasing Summer Stone as a door closer. Then, the pandemic happened. Isolation brought inspiration to Brauer's home studio, and the notes started pouring out. 1970 Something (2023) and Shaka (2024) started the fire that set the analog rock band in motion with flying colors.
Mimicking a dazed and half-awake vocal, "My Sunday Song" kicks the new album into gear akin to the morning mind after a wild night out -- the tune's playful theme. "Take me / Shake me / Mama, wake and bake me," Brauer calls over electric piano and tasteful organ licks. Distorted guitar solos grant a depth to the track that swells the accompaniment to its glimmering whole.
"Go Down Easy" gives 90s grunge a modern run for its money, and the eclectic riffage is enough to get you listening again and again. Stops and starts carry the song through different moods, combining the grit with the glamor. Each instrument pays its unique ode to the timeless genre twist, taking over the soundscape subtly but sonically complementary.
Released as a well-suited single this past April, "So Far Behind" gleams instrumentally behind reflective lyricism, taking on the challenge of meeting one's own expectations. Keys carry the track with a ragtime-adjacent swing, as Brauer sings "The lowest lows / And the highest highs." Co-written by Brauer and Bevin Blankenbeuhler, the jam is a revised revamp from its days on stage in 2007.
The title track, "Preternatural Dreams," captures its motif superbly, searching for something just out of reach in its lyrics, but nailing its mystic musically. Astrological nostalgia buds through the tone-shaping cracks, with reverberating timbre seeping from shimmering guitar drones that glide over the song's completeness.
Shying from social media, trends, and promotion gimmicks, the Matthew Shadley Band exudes that lived-in, worked for passion and determination. Mastered by Abbey Road's Alex Wharton, guitar-driven Preternatural Dreams testifies to the infectious nature of good old rock music, something to and from the soul.
Listen on Spotify
No comments:
Post a Comment