If I were to briefly describe Austin Lucas’ first major release Somebody Loves You I would say that it was a somber and beautiful work of sparsely arranged folk music. One of the most wonderful things about the album was Austin’s stellar verse and it’s country twang. In Austin’s second effort A New Home in the Old World his voice is still the sail that carries the album, but the music that supports him is a wonderful change.
This time around Austin is burgeoned by a full backing group of guitars, fiddles, banjos, and a slew of additional instrumentation. These additions lift up and away from being an acoustic folk record and towards a traditional country sound that still firmly maintains the earnest and earthy approach carried by all of Austin’s solo efforts. With the fleshed out arrangements we also get to hear Austin expand his lyric writing skills with hooks and energy.
Despite these changes A New Home in the Old World still features several tracks that would’ve felt perfectly at home among Austin’s earlier works. “Nevada Country Line” is perfect example of Austin playing to his roots and showing new listeners that he doesn’t need to hide behind a bunch of instruments. The track just features a duet backed with soft acoustic and slide guitars.
It is difficult for me to not gush about the sheer beauty of the entire album. As a whole Austin Lucas took what he does best and whipped it up into something even better. I also love that this is an album that I can later share with my family that doesn’t quite appreciate my eclectic taste in music.
The first thing that leaped to my mind when listening to this album is that this is not traditional punk rock album. The very next thing that happened is that I realized that the minds behind Amateur Party must be huge fans of Ted Leo’s old band Chisel. More often then not singer Mike McKee just seems like he’s channeling Ted Leo and Chris Noborg or he tapped into their collective minds circa-1995. This might sound creepy, but being possessed by Ted Leo would have to be the single best person by which to be possessed.
Amateur Party does maintain more of a classic punk edge with some shouted choruses and fuzzy guitars. Track six “Even They Would Move Against Us” is a harsh track with shouted female vocals that harkens back to a simpler time in the world of punk rock.
Red City Radio – The Dangers of Standing Still (iTunes Link)
I think writing a blurb about Red City Radio is obligatory. If you love the music championed by Punknews.org then you’ll love Red City Radio. Hell, Peter from Up The Pucks likes Red City Radio, and that means something!
If that didn’t sell you, I can tell you exactly what to expect from Red City Radio. The Dangers of Standing Still is filled with driving punk rock filled with melodic gravely vocals and lyrics about life and drinking rather than politics and social protestations. It is the sort of album that makes you want to drive around town with your windows down just so that you can force other people to listen how good your taste in music is. The major weakness of the album is that unless you’re paying attention, the album can blend together a bit. It isn’t a major problem and doesn’t make the album less enjoyable, but you can’t help but notice that similarities in song structure.
Amateur Party does maintain more of a classic punk edge with some shouted choruses and fuzzy guitars. Track six “Even They Would Move Against Us” is a harsh track with shouted female vocals that harkens back to a simpler time in the world of punk rock.
Red City Radio – The Dangers of Standing Still (iTunes Link)
I think writing a blurb about Red City Radio is obligatory. If you love the music championed by Punknews.org then you’ll love Red City Radio. Hell, Peter from Up The Pucks likes Red City Radio, and that means something!
If that didn’t sell you, I can tell you exactly what to expect from Red City Radio. The Dangers of Standing Still is filled with driving punk rock filled with melodic gravely vocals and lyrics about life and drinking rather than politics and social protestations. It is the sort of album that makes you want to drive around town with your windows down just so that you can force other people to listen how good your taste in music is. The major weakness of the album is that unless you’re paying attention, the album can blend together a bit. It isn’t a major problem and doesn’t make the album less enjoyable, but you can’t help but notice that similarities in song structure.
