What River City Tanlines has proven on their sophomore LP (their first album in six years) is that not every new thing has to be completely unique from everything in rock history; sometimes innovation can take a backseat to just making a sound that is big, bodacious and ballsy. Coast To Coast is a marvel which exists in that line of thinking as, from the first blast of “I Don't Get It,”singer/guitarist Alicja Trout, bassist Terrence Bishop and drummer John Bonds explode with such force that the audio (of a well-produced CD!) threatens to start clipping and distorting and the mud in the low end of the mix begins to swirl. The sound is terrifying and exciting in its wild abandon, but there's also no question whether or not the band is in perfect control of it; sure – the sawed-off guitars might blast through the mix in torrential waves sounding like a PCP-fueled stand-off between Keith Richards and Marc Bolan, and Bishop's bass may seem to spin its wheels in panic and spray low end mud on everything else in the mix but, when Trout opens her mouth and delivers a perfect and platinum-coated pop melody which just flies over the top of the mix, the result is just sublime. That voice is like the elated calm at the eye of a perfect storm.
Immediately hooked by the noxious sound that Rive City Tanlines are offering them, listeners will anxiously follow the band after “I Don't Get It” lets out and discover to their joy that things only get better as the record progresses. Songs like “Stop My Heart,” “Lights,” “Can't Stand U Anymore,” “Dark Matter” and “Can You Handle This Heart” all mix a near-perfect bend of classic rock tones infused with an indie scenester's sense of cultural superiority, both the stakes as well as the band's sneering demeanors get backed perfectly by the production designed by Lynn Bridges and Bruce Watson to guarantee that those who like both Nashville Pussy as well as the rockier side of Queens Of The Stone Age are going to like every single track here.
As “Waiting For Nothing” rips out one last crotch grabbing anthem before punching the album's clock and calling it a day, listeners will find themselves hoping the band will be back for another serving as meaty as Coast To Coast soon – if they can keep rock of this caliber coming. As stated, part of this record's charm is that there's nothing complicated or ironic about it; it's a rock record to love and enjoy – and you will, if you're a little sick of the over-thinking which has overtaken rock n' roll lately.
Artist:
www.myspace.com/rivercitytanlines
www.soundcloud.com/river-city-tanlines
Album:
Coast To Coast is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
