44 Long strikes me as a band that will always get solid reviews. They'll get a lot of local papers and whatnot saying the album is sound and unique and has a nice blend of rock and country and scratchy Tom Petty-like vocals. They'll say the songs are a good length and it's not pretentious. It's easy to listen to and it will probably show up on a few college stations. But 44 Long also strikes me as the sort of band who won't get much more than the above accolades. A steady, well-done collection of songs, but arranged in an unspectacular manner. There's nothing really hooky about this. The instrumentation we've heard before, and better than it's showcased here. The song titles seem to shuffle around about 5 words between them. It sounds like bar music, not radio music. And not even the CD cover will pull in unsuspecting music fans who find new bands based on intriguing album art. Well, okay, the photo of a bunch of 50's-ish gymast men split-jumping might cause some second glances, but the clunky serif type tossed over top does nothing to make it look slick. Anyhow, artwork aside, there's some really fun music on here. I just don't think much of the world who would enjoy it will ever get a chance to hear it.
ElsewhereIn Music We Trust websitePublished : April, 2006. |
