Promised Land Sound — For Use and Delight (October9, 2015) |
PROMISED LAND SOUND — ‘USE AND DELIGHT’ •ς• “There is an incredible amount of honesty and ingenuity in this music that really shines through.”Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Album release: October 2nd, 2015
Record Label: Paradise of Bachelors
Duration:
Tracks:
01 Push and Pull (All the Time) 5:12
02 She Takes Me There 4:47
03 Otherworldly Pleasures 3:40
04 Through the Seasons 3:49
05 Dialogue 3:20
06 Oppression 3:32
07 Golden Child 4:29
08 Canfield Drive 4:42
09 Better Company 3:49
10 Northern Country Scene 4:10
11 Within Sight 6:41
℗ 2015 Paradise of Bachelors
CREDITS
•ς• Zach Casebolt Strings
•ς• Jem Cohen Producer
•ς• Jeremy Ferguson Engineer
•ς• Alysse Gafkjen Band Photo
•ς• Brendan Greaves Design, Layout
•ς• Steve Gunn Guitar
•ς• Ryan Jennings Flute, Percussion
•ς• Mitch Jones Group Member, Producer
•ς• Patrick Klem Mastering
•ς• Jason Meagher Engineer, Mixing, Producer
•ς• Evangeline Neuhart Cover Design
•ς• Promised Land Sound Composer, Mixing
•ς• Evan Scala Group Member
•ς• Joey Scala Group Member
•ς• Mark Scala Cover Painting
•ς• Luke Schneider Pedal Steel
•ς• Peter Stringer–Hye Group Member
•ς• Sean Thompson Group Member
•ς• Jeff Zeigler MixingREVIEW
Words from Will Calvert
•ς• Mixing psychedelic music and country music can be a deeply pleasurable concoction. It’s something that bands like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and The Flying Burrito Brothers all the way up to more recent acts like Beck and The War on Drugs all have in common. They masterfully blend the finesse of country song-writing with an often near–suffocating amount of reverb to create something that lives outside of its two mother genres entirely. But, this mixing of styles can be problematic. Delve too deep into the psychedelic aspects of the genre and a band can end up sounding like a bad Grateful Dead covers band. On the flip side, rely too heavily on the country aspects and the music can often fall into sentimental mush.
•ς• It is rare to see a band straddle these two genres so naturally and dexterously, which is exactly what makes “For Use and Delight” such a joy. Promised Land Sound released their self–titled debut album in 2013 when the band was still too young to drink in their home town of Nashville, Tennessee. Two years on, Promised Land Sound have produced a much more mature album in the form of “For Use and Delight”.
•ς• First up is the vibrant opener “Push and Pull (All the Time)”, a five minute long slice of psychedelic rock with some snarling Dylan–esque vocals. Right off the bat, Promised Land Sound are showing how they can seamlessly move between anthemic choruses and more psychedelic jam band material. The cluttered drums on the second half of this track mix so well with the warm, glossy guitar tones. It is a combination that, when paired with superb production, makes me imagine watching pots and pans falling down the stairs in slow motion. I mean that in a glorious, sublime kind of way; not in a look at all the spaghetti hoops I’m going to have to clean out of the carpet kind of way.
•ς• “She Takes Me There” is just as much haunting as it is gentle. The way the guitar and the vocals on this track interweave really create a very bare, lonesome atmosphere. The lyrical response between the vocals “Where could she be?” and the backing vocals “She’s over me” really gives the listener an idea of the solitude this song portrays. “She Takes Me There” finishes with a dazzling slide guitar solo that perfectly complements and heightens the rest of the song.
•ς• The guitar work on this album really is stellar. Aside from the clear technical proficiency, there has been such a care taken to maintain a psychedelic aesthetic to the guitar tone, without seeming overly familiar or cliché. The acoustic guitars feel tactile and punchy; the use of effects on the electric guitars feel well placed and seem to be chosen as contributing factors to a song, not just an afterthought of a guitarist with far more pedals than ideas.
•ς• As the album moves forward there is a good amount of variance between songs to keep the listeners’ interest peaked. “Golden Child” is a real shot in the arm after some of the more drowsy numbers. It is a raw, bustling track filled with some very sweet, brittle guitars. Probably the slowest and most Dylan–esque moment on this album is “Canfield Drive”. It is a track that feels so much like a 1960s protest song “18 years old, they took his life, a summer’s day, on Canfield Drive”. It is a powerful lyric, especially when coupled with the otherworldly production on this song.
•ς• There is a kind of shimmer to this whole album. It’s in the production but most importantly it’s in the song–writing. Every song and performance feels as if it has been presented just as it is meant to be. To take “For Use and Delight” at first glance, it could be dismissed as just another derivative album yearning for a seemingly purer time in music. But, there is an incredible amount of honesty and ingenuity in this music that really shines through. Promised Land Sound have hit their stride with “For Use and Delight” and hopefully there is more to come. •ς• http://slatethedisco.com/
AllMusic Review by Timothy Monger; Score: ****
•ς• The Nashville indie underground has become a haven for experimental psych and garage combos playing against Music City’s reputation for slick country and pop. From the more pastoral end of this spectrum are Promised Land Sound, whose excellent sophomore LP, For Use and Delight, manages a robust rock clamor that sways with an earthy Big Pink–meets–Workingman’s Dead spirit. Although they were born out of the city’s garage scene, it’s clear that the young band’s musical allegiances are more aligned with bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival. •ς• Following their 2013 debut, they swapped keyboardist Ricardo Alessio for ace guitarist Peter Stringer–Hye (the Paperhead) and his contributions here, both as an instrumentalist and part–time vocalist, are a key part of their evolved sound. Also joining them on this outing is Mitch Jones from psych group Fly Golden Eagle who mans the keys and acts as a co–producer. Among the 11 tracks here are harmony–laden jangle pop cuts like the opener “Push and Pull (All the Time)” and Dylan–esque rave–ups like “Otherworldly Pleasures,” which showcases Promised Land Sound’s beefed–up guitar work. With its watery slide guitar riffs and rich harmonies, album highlight “She Takes Me There” channels the gentle psych sweetness of early George Harrison, while the bucolic acoustic ballad “Northern Country Scene” ripples dreamily, showing off the band’s extended range and songwriting chops. The music is beautifully captured with an overwhelmingly organic feel in spite of being festooned with plenty of wah–guitar and other tasteful effects. From their clever songcraft to the very natural manner in which they've presented it, Promised Land Sound have delivered a gem with a rambling country–folk feel and plenty of rock vitality.
Also:
By Jason P. Woodbury
•ς• http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/southern-psych-promised-land-sound/Content?oid=5944613
Bandcamp> http://promisedlandnashville.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PromisedLandSound•ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς
Promised Land Sound — For Use and Delight (October9, 2015) |
PROMISED LAND SOUND — ‘USE AND DELIGHT’ •ς• “There is an incredible amount of honesty and ingenuity in this music that really shines through.”Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Album release: October 2nd, 2015
Record Label: Paradise of Bachelors
Duration:
Tracks:
01 Push and Pull (All the Time) 5:12
02 She Takes Me There 4:47
03 Otherworldly Pleasures 3:40
04 Through the Seasons 3:49
05 Dialogue 3:20
06 Oppression 3:32
07 Golden Child 4:29
08 Canfield Drive 4:42
09 Better Company 3:49
10 Northern Country Scene 4:10
11 Within Sight 6:41
℗ 2015 Paradise of Bachelors
CREDITS
•ς• Zach Casebolt Strings
•ς• Jem Cohen Producer
•ς• Jeremy Ferguson Engineer
•ς• Alysse Gafkjen Band Photo
•ς• Brendan Greaves Design, Layout
•ς• Steve Gunn Guitar
•ς• Ryan Jennings Flute, Percussion
•ς• Mitch Jones Group Member, Producer
•ς• Patrick Klem Mastering
•ς• Jason Meagher Engineer, Mixing, Producer
•ς• Evangeline Neuhart Cover Design
•ς• Promised Land Sound Composer, Mixing
•ς• Evan Scala Group Member
•ς• Joey Scala Group Member
•ς• Mark Scala Cover Painting
•ς• Luke Schneider Pedal Steel
•ς• Peter Stringer–Hye Group Member
•ς• Sean Thompson Group Member
•ς• Jeff Zeigler MixingREVIEW
Words from Will Calvert
•ς• Mixing psychedelic music and country music can be a deeply pleasurable concoction. It’s something that bands like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and The Flying Burrito Brothers all the way up to more recent acts like Beck and The War on Drugs all have in common. They masterfully blend the finesse of country song-writing with an often near–suffocating amount of reverb to create something that lives outside of its two mother genres entirely. But, this mixing of styles can be problematic. Delve too deep into the psychedelic aspects of the genre and a band can end up sounding like a bad Grateful Dead covers band. On the flip side, rely too heavily on the country aspects and the music can often fall into sentimental mush.
•ς• It is rare to see a band straddle these two genres so naturally and dexterously, which is exactly what makes “For Use and Delight” such a joy. Promised Land Sound released their self–titled debut album in 2013 when the band was still too young to drink in their home town of Nashville, Tennessee. Two years on, Promised Land Sound have produced a much more mature album in the form of “For Use and Delight”.
•ς• First up is the vibrant opener “Push and Pull (All the Time)”, a five minute long slice of psychedelic rock with some snarling Dylan–esque vocals. Right off the bat, Promised Land Sound are showing how they can seamlessly move between anthemic choruses and more psychedelic jam band material. The cluttered drums on the second half of this track mix so well with the warm, glossy guitar tones. It is a combination that, when paired with superb production, makes me imagine watching pots and pans falling down the stairs in slow motion. I mean that in a glorious, sublime kind of way; not in a look at all the spaghetti hoops I’m going to have to clean out of the carpet kind of way.
•ς• “She Takes Me There” is just as much haunting as it is gentle. The way the guitar and the vocals on this track interweave really create a very bare, lonesome atmosphere. The lyrical response between the vocals “Where could she be?” and the backing vocals “She’s over me” really gives the listener an idea of the solitude this song portrays. “She Takes Me There” finishes with a dazzling slide guitar solo that perfectly complements and heightens the rest of the song.
•ς• The guitar work on this album really is stellar. Aside from the clear technical proficiency, there has been such a care taken to maintain a psychedelic aesthetic to the guitar tone, without seeming overly familiar or cliché. The acoustic guitars feel tactile and punchy; the use of effects on the electric guitars feel well placed and seem to be chosen as contributing factors to a song, not just an afterthought of a guitarist with far more pedals than ideas.
•ς• As the album moves forward there is a good amount of variance between songs to keep the listeners’ interest peaked. “Golden Child” is a real shot in the arm after some of the more drowsy numbers. It is a raw, bustling track filled with some very sweet, brittle guitars. Probably the slowest and most Dylan–esque moment on this album is “Canfield Drive”. It is a track that feels so much like a 1960s protest song “18 years old, they took his life, a summer’s day, on Canfield Drive”. It is a powerful lyric, especially when coupled with the otherworldly production on this song.
•ς• There is a kind of shimmer to this whole album. It’s in the production but most importantly it’s in the song–writing. Every song and performance feels as if it has been presented just as it is meant to be. To take “For Use and Delight” at first glance, it could be dismissed as just another derivative album yearning for a seemingly purer time in music. But, there is an incredible amount of honesty and ingenuity in this music that really shines through. Promised Land Sound have hit their stride with “For Use and Delight” and hopefully there is more to come. •ς• http://slatethedisco.com/
AllMusic Review by Timothy Monger; Score: ****
•ς• The Nashville indie underground has become a haven for experimental psych and garage combos playing against Music City’s reputation for slick country and pop. From the more pastoral end of this spectrum are Promised Land Sound, whose excellent sophomore LP, For Use and Delight, manages a robust rock clamor that sways with an earthy Big Pink–meets–Workingman’s Dead spirit. Although they were born out of the city’s garage scene, it’s clear that the young band’s musical allegiances are more aligned with bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival. •ς• Following their 2013 debut, they swapped keyboardist Ricardo Alessio for ace guitarist Peter Stringer–Hye (the Paperhead) and his contributions here, both as an instrumentalist and part–time vocalist, are a key part of their evolved sound. Also joining them on this outing is Mitch Jones from psych group Fly Golden Eagle who mans the keys and acts as a co–producer. Among the 11 tracks here are harmony–laden jangle pop cuts like the opener “Push and Pull (All the Time)” and Dylan–esque rave–ups like “Otherworldly Pleasures,” which showcases Promised Land Sound’s beefed–up guitar work. With its watery slide guitar riffs and rich harmonies, album highlight “She Takes Me There” channels the gentle psych sweetness of early George Harrison, while the bucolic acoustic ballad “Northern Country Scene” ripples dreamily, showing off the band’s extended range and songwriting chops. The music is beautifully captured with an overwhelmingly organic feel in spite of being festooned with plenty of wah–guitar and other tasteful effects. From their clever songcraft to the very natural manner in which they've presented it, Promised Land Sound have delivered a gem with a rambling country–folk feel and plenty of rock vitality.
Also:
By Jason P. Woodbury
•ς• http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/southern-psych-promised-land-sound/Content?oid=5944613
Bandcamp> http://promisedlandnashville.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PromisedLandSound•ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς••ς