Showing posts with label The Pollies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Pollies. Show all posts

Oct 9, 2018

Album Review / The Pollies / Transmissions

by Matthew Martin

The Pollies have had a busy, if somewhat quiet career since their debut came out in 2012.  They've released 1 other full-length album, have backed Chris Porter on an EP, and have, of late, been backing Dylan LeBlanc around the US and Europe.  In that time they have stretched their musical muscles and expanded the sounds that made their first two albums so intriguing.  Now, they have released the retro, but positively modern, new album Transmissions.

With pulsing synths opening up the album, the Pollies let you know that a band from a place with rich musical history (Muscle Shoals, AL) can still shatter what it means to be a Southern band.  While decidedly Southern sounding on most of the album, there are moments of freakouts such as the midway point and end of "Knocking At My Door."  These are well-served and welcomed additions to these songs, adding a layer of intrigue to the perfectly crafted pop songs on the album.  (To be fair, I've always been a fan of any sort of freakout moment on an album, so maybe I'm just biased.)

Jay Burgess and crew have started to hone their hook skills with beautiful rock songs like "Love's To Fault" and "Hold On My Heart."  Burgess's voice is perfect to carry across these songs of loving and longing.  You know how Lindsay Buckingham is the only person who could ever sing "Tusk?"  Burgess's voice just ties all of these songs together with his raspy, wistful voice.  Listen to "Lonely" and try to not be moved.  


At their core, The Pollies have always been a pop rock band with tendencies to stretch out songs.  Southern pop rock has always been a rather unglorified but important genre.  Bands like Big Star put Southern pop rock on the map, but there are a number of bands emulating that style today (one other that comes to mind is Belle Adair out of AL, as well).  The Pollies are carrying that torch and making that sound all their own.  

If I had one complaint, I would say that I almost wish "You Want It" was a bit muted on the synths.  It's an interesting inclusion, and I almost like the addition.  But, it gets to be a bit glaring and doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the album.  The rest of the songs are incredibly well thought out and balanced.  "You Want It" misses that mark, for me.  

Still, Transmissions is worth the price of admission.  You won't be disappointed with the contents.  This is an album of perfect summer tunes- almost wish I had the whole summer back to enjoy this one with the windows down or out on the river.  In a different life, The Pollies would be getting their due on the radio, but that is not the world we live in.  Instead, you should go out, buy this and every other Pollies album, and share or buy one for your friends/family.  

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Transmissions is available on Bandcamp, Amazon, Spotify, etc. 


Sep 25, 2015

Not Here: The Pollies, Jay Burgess Defy Convention, Raise Bar

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The Pollies. Jay Burgess, second from left, in ugly hat.
By Kevin Broughton

During its print heyday, No Depression magazine made playful fun of the genre of music it had helped define. Each issue would contain a mini-mission statement, the first half of which varied. It might be “shining the light on alt-country,” or “examining alt-country,” but it always concluded the same way: “whatever that is.”

Alt-country, roots rock, Americana…all have been used to attempt to classify or categorize a sub-genre of music that continually evades the pigeon-holing.  Hard to define, but not unlike a Supreme Court Justice’s self-definition of “pornography,” most of us know it when we hear it. But what happens when the edgy becomes mainstream?

“It seems like here lately, Americana is being taken over by folks popping up trying to sound too Americana,” says Pollies front man Jay Burgess. “Maybe it’s subconscious.  And don’t get me wrong, we don’t have a problem being classified as ‘Americana.’ It’s just…” he trails off.

Fitting, as the Pollies’ second album, Not Here eludes any neat classification. Steady, poignant songwriting, tight arrangements and artful production are the constants that make it a compelling record, regardless of classification.

The album, a joint distribution between Single Lock Records and Thirty Tigers (Jason Isbell, Avett Brothers, Jonathan Tyler) opens in a big way. “’Jackson’ is a song we’d been working on and playing for about a year,” Burgess says. “When we got to the studio, we wanted to go back and make it bigger and symphonic. I knew we wanted some strings and a Mellotron in it.” And symphonic it is, along with much of the album, owing to the production’s vision.

Pollies keyboardist Ben Tanner – who splits time with Alabama Shakes – is, like Burgess, a recording engineer. “Ben and I have been friends a long time. I couldn’t make a record without him,” Burgess says.  It’s hard to imagine Not Here without him, especially hearing “Paperback Books,” a longing, ethereal tune that manages to evoke a big, sweeping Pink Floyd sound with just enough pedal-steel lonesome twang.

It’s obvious Burgess and Tanner had definite ideas of the sound they wanted to capture when they went in the studio. There’s a purposeful, deliberate feel to the whole record, reminiscent of what Chris Bell and Alex Chilton accomplished on the tragically under-heard Number One Record from Big Star.

The varied arrangements give Burgess ample opportunity to showcase a wide vocal range. Other critics’ comparisons to Gram Parsons aren’t overstated, particularly on the coincidentally named “She.” His voice can be edgy or melodic, but it’s always poignant.

Burgess, like mentor and friend Isbell, hails from tiny Greenhill, Alabama and is part of the latest generation of Muscle Shoals-area musicians eager to make their marks. (Note: Birmingham music journalist Blake Ells has written a fine book, The Muscle Shoals Legacy of Fame, that chronicles the continual, multi-generational torch-passing of musical legacies; find it.) The common link between Burgess and Isbell was Mr. McCombs, the school music teacher. He left the two with a musical bond that lasted.

“Jason’s always inspired me,” Burgess told Ells. “To me, he’s always been that popular. When he blew up, it was almost like it wasn’t anything new to me. He was a big deal already.” On Isbell’s first couple of solo tours, he made room for the Pollies (or Burgess’s former outfit, the Sons of Roswell) to open shows when possible. It was instructive. “I saw that someone like Jason could have a bad night. I was lucky to see first-hand that not everybody sells out every show.”

The Pollies will have their chance to sell out their own shows on the forthcoming tour. The album’s been finished almost a year, recorded, ironically, outside the friendly confines of Muscle Shoals. “Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Mississippi offered us a little bit of a deal,” Burgess says. “We wanted to make sure everybody playing on the record was in the same room. We slept at the studio.” It made for an old-school recording experience.

“It’s crazy, but we didn’t have a computer in the studio,” he says. “It makes you use your ears. You can look at the knob all you want to, but you’ve got to turn it yourself.”

The finished product is worthy of the studio that’s cranked out some great work by Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, Blue Mountain and Jimbo Mathus, and has taken on the moniker “Muscle Shoals West.”

But regardless of the place, another page has been turned in the rich history of the Muscle Shoals Sound. The Pollies have skin in the game, and a record that leaves no doubt they’ve arrived. 


Not Here is available on Amazon, iTunes, and from the Single Lock site.

Mar 10, 2015

Full Album Stream: Porter - This Red Mountain


I've been listening to This Red Mountain for a few weeks now and it's by far my favorite work of Chris Porter's (Some Dark Holler, The Back Row Baptists, Chris Porter & The Pollies) busy career thus far. It has an all-star supporting cast and an alt-country legend at the producer's helm in Will Johnson. I hope to write a review of the album at some point, but for now, they're letting FTM give you guys a full album stream! This Red Mountain is out today and is available through Porter's website and at Amazon. A write-up/bio for the unaffiliated follows the album stream. RIYL: Bonnie Whitmore, Drive-by Truckers, The Pollies,  Sixteen Horsepower.



Porter - This Red Mountain
release date: March 10, 2015
"Heres to the myth of a man’s redemption, for every other time that he stood there wishing, that she would do the leaving, so he could put it in a song." - Porter, This Red Mountain
Porter spent his formative years sharing songwriting and lead vocal duties in his previous projects, The Back Row Baptists and Some Dark Holler. Upon making the decision to leave the comfort of shared pressure, it took Porter over a year to conceptualize, write and record his debut solo release, This Red Mountain. He considers it the most sincere work of his career, and every aspect of its creation reflects this sentiment. Weaving in and out of lives filled with heartbreak, loss, redemption and joy, the songs of This Red Mountain reveal the story of a man’s lowest lows and the difficult journey back to peace and perspective while living his life on his own terms. “I reckon,” Porter says, that guy is a lot like me.”
Family
Porter’s move from Birmingham to Austin was not a career choice. Years of constant touring, recording and writing led to nearly all of the cliched, spirit-breaking tolls that the life of a career songwriter can manifest. His new relationship with musical co-conspirator Bonnie Whitmore (who also lends her talents to This Red Mountain) was a source of hope, and—with her encouragement and support—Porter relocated to the Live Music Capitol of the World. This period of his life is what every track on This Red Mountain is about—the good and the bad. Each musician on the album was instrumental in helping him turn this corner of his life and career. These people are not just studio musicians; Porter considers them family.
Will Johnson (producer, This Red Mountain) - Will has consistently pushed the boundaries of music with his bands Centro-Matic & South San Gabriel and his countless other solo efforts and collaborations with artists such as Jim James, M. Ward, Conor Oberst, Vic Chestnutt, Jay Farrar and the late Jason Molina. Porter wanted to make This Red Mountain stand out among its peers, past and present; Will was crucial from the album's conception in achieving this goal. All tracking was done live at Ramble Creek Studios in Austin, Texas, with Britton Biesenherz turning the knobs.
The Players
Chris Masterson (guitars, pedal steel, mandolin, baritone, organ, vocals) - Chris is one of Porter’s closest friends and is regarded as a consummate musician. He is currently the lead guitar player for Steve Earle & the Dukes, a former member of Son Volt, and has shared the stage and studio with numerous influential artists. His work with his band The Mastersons is particularly important to Porter as an example of pushing the boundaries of "Americana." (Chris appears courtesy of New West Records)
Eleanor Whitmore (guitars, fiddle, baritone fiddle, tenor guitar, mandolin, vocals) - Eleanor has shared stages and studios with Regina Spektor, Bruce Robinson, Kelly Willis, Diana Ross and Will Hoge. She is also currently a member of Steve Earle & the Dukes, and one half of The Mastersons. Her fiddle playing and vocals on This Red Mountain are heartbreakingly gorgeous.
Falcon Valdez (drums) - Falcon was instrumental in the "Zero Genericana" standard Porter and Will set from the beginning. Will, Falcon and Porter worked closely together to develop the pulse of This Red Mountain. Falcon has worked with The Happen-Ins, The Mastersons, Craig Finn, Corb Lund, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Carrie Rodriguez, Todd Snider and more.
Bonnie Whitmore (bass, vocals) - Bonnie deserves an endless amount of credit for bringing This Red Mountain into the light of day. Her bass playing and vocal presence provide the foundation for its most haunting moments, and her vocals on "Don't Let Me Go" are a high point. Bonnie has played with a number of notable artists including Hayes Carll, Justin Townes Earle, Mando Saenz, Drew Womack and Jon Dee Graham.
Jon Dee Graham (lap steel, good advice) -  Jon Dee gave Porter his first gigs in Austin and has been a constant source of guidance in every aspect of Porter’s musical development and career. He is an absolute legend. Porter considers it an honor to have him perform on This Red Mountain. He even did the album art.

Jan 10, 2013

FTM Top Albums of '12: Matthew's Top 10


-By Matthew Martin


1- Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, "There is a Bomb in Gilead"- My God!  No band surprised me more this year than Birmingham's own Lee Bains III.  I witnessed them open up for Alabama Shakes in Baltimore and was just floored by these guys.  Evoking that Southern, soulful voice akin to fellow Alabama native Jason Isbell, Bains and his incredibly gifted band-mates have created an album that continues to grow stronger and stronger with each listen. 

2- American Aquarium, "Burn. Flicker. Die"- We've all heard it before, right?  Band hits road.  Band tries to make it.  Band gets weary.  Band breaks up.  This is where we meet BJ Barham and his band American Aquarium on their latest release: between weary and callin it quits.  What makes an album great is taking a subject we've heard and making it sound new and fresh.  Barham has done this to perfection with his road weary songs.  American Aquarium has had some really good albums, but this album achieves far beyond good- it is truly great.

3- The Pollies, "Where the Lies Begin"- Another great band from Alabama- there must be something in the water down there.  Listening to this album for the first time was such an awesome experience that I wish I could listen for the first time again.  I'm not sure you can get much better for a debut album.  Everything on this album works perfectly- from the interplay of instruments to the Jim James-esque echo vocal effects.  Just try to listen to this album and not be taken aback.  

4- Titus Andronicus, "Local Business"- Everyone's favorite Nihilistic band came back from their massively heavy and successful 2010 album "The Monitor" to record a more basic rock and roll record.  Recorded with the same 4 folks who had been touring for the last few months as Titus Andronicus, this album hits the ground running and really never lets up.  This album has less of the bombast than the previous 2 albums (i.e., no spoken intros, no droning noise, etc.), but Patrick Sickles and crew still run through 7+ minute songs at break-neck speed.  

5- Lucero, "Women & Work"- I don't know how Lucero continue to get better, but they do.  Taking the Memphis soul sound they incorporated on "1372 Overton Park," they honed their sound in to make this incredible album.  The songs on this album are your typical Lucero songs, but then you add in songs such as "Sometimes" and "Go Easy" and you have possibly their best album since "That Much Further West."  Some folks don't like the horn section Lucero have taken up, but I couldn't be more on board.  It works incredibly well for their sound and Nichols' gruff voice.  (Also, anyone else notice "Like Lightning" being played during some college and pro football games this year?)

6- Shovels & Rope, "O Be Joyful"- To truly appreciate Shovels & Rope, you should see them live, immediately.  Until then, this album serves as a great snapshot of their energy, harmony, and chemistry.  There have been a ton of "husband/wife" duos lately, it seems, but Shovels & Rope are doing everything right.  Some songs may initially seem sappy, but they play them with such sincerity and gusto that any sap is quickly overshadowed by their keen emotion.  There is no better song from 2012 than "Bimingham," which alone makes the album worth purchasing.

7- Arliss Nancy, "Simple Machines"- "I don't believe that we've been properly introduced.." So begins the newest album from Arliss Nancy.  I'd say that is a fair statement from the Denver rock band.  Their first album ("Dance to Forget") was a good album but this album shines much brighter due to upped production values, added instruments here and there, and a damn near perfect set of songs.  I'd say if you were just now hearing of Arliss Nancy this album would no doubt be the place to start and if you've been hesitating on listening, stop.  It's a great, catchy rock and roll album.

8- Natural Child, "For the Love of the Game"/"Hard in Heaven"- After seeing Natural Child open up for The Hold Steady this year, I went crazy for these guys.  The 3-man band from Nashville, TN were busy in 2012 releasing both "For the Love of the Game" and "Hard in Heaven."  I know it's probably cheating to include both albums here at #8, but when I was thinking about this list I couldn't pick a clear favorite.  Sounding like a combination of the Stones and the Ramones, Natural Child rock and roll through sleazy guitar licks and songs about women, partying, and drugs.  Just try to listen to these guys without moving.  I think it's impossible.

9- Alabama Shakes, "Boys and Girls"- I fell for this album and band hook, line, and sinker.  Talk about a powerful voice!  I think this is a fun, well-played, and well-written record.  While Alabama Shakes aren't really breaking new ground lyrically, they are laying down really great music and the songs are perfect vehicles for Brittany Howard to showcase her incredible vocals.  Also, it's really amazing how fast Alabama Shakes rose to stardom.  I'm sure it happens all the time, but it had never happened to a band I was on board with when they were just Alabama's best kept secret. 

10- Justin Townes Earle, "Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now"- Lots of folks aren't crazy about JTE's new album due to its subdued nature.  I, on the other hand, think it is the perfect Sunday morning album.  Once again, an artist added a horns section to an album and it worked perfectly.  The contemplative mood of the album works for Earle and the band he gathered to record with. This is a fine album that I believe will get much stronger with time.

Other albums just missing the top 10 include: The Bohanons- "Unaka Rising," The Gaslight Anthem- "Handwritten," Cory Branan- "Mutt," Shooter Jennings- "Family Man," and Patterson Hood- "Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance."

Jan 4, 2013

FTM Top 75 Albums of 2012: 1-20


A first-half-of-the-year release unfairly hurts some albums on these year-end lists. That wasn't the case for this year's #1 album, There is a Bomb in Gilead. From my May review:
"The forthright Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires emerges onto the scene already
a full-fledged force to be reckoned with on this fantastic debut.
Mixing garage rock, country soul and southern swagger into an effortlessly authentic blend, Lee and the boys give a spirited go at every style across 11 spotless tracks. From the driving exploration of faith on album opener "Ain't No Stranger," through the sin, searching and nostalgia of the middle to the hymn-inspired closing title track, there isn't a weak point on the album."

Standout tracks: Sundown in Nashville, Picture From Life's Other Side (with Hank III)

See review here.

See review here.
RIYL: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Lucero, Two Cow Garage

Does this band have a signature sound, or what? Turnpike Troubadours are (is?) distinctive, vibrant and unique (so unique in fact, that I used two synonyms for that word in the same description). Disregard my haphazard writing and just know that they've come into their own on Goodbye Normal Street
Songwriting doesn't get much better in this day and age.
Standout tracks: Good Lord Lorrie, Empty as a Drum, Gin, Smoke, Lies

From Kelcy's November review (note - we'll also post Kelcy's favorite albums of '12 later on, 
so I should probably do my own write-up here, but I'm lazy)
"In summary, if you're a fan of anything that Cody Canada, Seth James, Jeremy Plato, Steve Littleton or have done in the past you will love this album.  If you're a fan of good bluesy rock n roll you will love this album.  Shoot, if you're just a fan of good music with some substance, you need to pick up a copy.  So get Adventus & celebrate the true Arrival of The Departed on the scene."
Standout tracks: Prayer for the Lonely, Set It Free, Sweet Lord
A true comeback album, 3 Pears finds the country legend mixing rock, soul, country and his undying swagger into a welcome set of memorable songs that will never get played on Clearchannel radio.
Standout tracks: It's Never Alright, A Heart Like Mine, Rock It All Away

Standout tracks: Pocket Full of Misery, Rosalia

(Condescending Wonka says) Oh you thought West Coast rap was dead? 
Have you heard Kendrick Lamar?
Standout tracks: B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe, Backseat Freestyle

Real country is alive and well. The Trishas are proof. The vocals and harmonies are beyond reproach. The songwriting is the thing for me though. High, Wide and Handsome shows Nashville how to write a hooky, lyrically clever song without leaning on cliches and marketing. The Trishas are no one-note act - they give us a portrait of strength on the album, but they also give us vulnerability. In other words, reality.
Standout tracks: Over Forgiving You, Mother of Invention, The Fool

Standout tracks: More Than I Can Handle, Harold Wilson, Desperate People

I want to personally thank Killer Mike for relighting my fire for hip-hop. Obviously, I focus mostly on alt-country and rock, but I've been a rap fan since the late 80's. I just thought intelligent, fiery, well-crafted hip-hop was a thing of the past. (Obviously there's a whole rap underground that I'm discounting with that statement, but there are only so many hours in the day for listening to music.) R.A.P. Music is a bold statement, both lyrically and sonically. Producer EL-P (whose own album is further down this list) provides a brutal, old-school-leaning bed for the rhymes. Mike flows like he actually cares about what he's saying. He's clearly a real person - in one verse he's cursing the political system; in the next he's praising his family. There's little talk of bling and booty on this record....because real people don't have to dwell on generalities and boasts when they discuss life. Killer Mike is as real as it gets.
Standout tracks: Big Beast, Reagan, Butane


The indie-country Svengali delivers his most consistent album to date with Family Man
It's a cohesive, passionate look at (mostly) the everyman side of country music royalty. 
On these very pages, I once dismissed Shooter's music, voice and image but no longer... 
so long as he continues to deliver music this engaging and tuneful. 
Standout tracks: The Long Road Ahead, Daddy's Hands

The indie world buzzed and bowed for this band from ...duh, Alabama, as soon as their EP hit the scene in 2011. That hype turned a lot of people off or built up their expectations far too high, but for me, Boys & Girls was a delivery on the promise of that Extended Play. Throw some Muscle Shoals soul, New York garage rock and folk sensibility into a blender and the Shakes are what results. It's more than that, though. Their songwriting is strong, their musical chops are exciting and Britanny Howard's voice is a thing of beauty.
I can't wait to see where they go from here.
Standout tracks: Hold On, Heartbreaker, I Ain't the Same




Like Shooter Jennings, Matt King was an artist I once didn't "get." Given time with his music however, I've changed my tune. Matt is a country singer with a very distinct vision. He also has a signature sound. That's rare in this day and age. Apples and Orphans is full of wit and anger in equal amounts. While politics and the environment are common themes, Matt explores these themes with an old-timey aesthetic and warm approach that never seems preachy, even when it is. His music is at times experimental, steampunk (whatever that means), ragtime or pure country. It's always passionate.
Standout tracks: Back to Baltimore, Jasmine and Gypsies

Dec 26, 2012

Top Songs of 2012 - (Very!) Honorable Mentions

These are the songs released in 2012 that fell outside my top 10, but I felt were worthy of mention... 
not only mention, but excited proclamation actually. 2012 was a banner year for music - 
mostly outside of the mainstream, though there were some true mainstream gems. 
Here are FTM's honorable mentions for top songs of 2012, in no particular order.


Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go 'Round (Mainstream Country Song of the Year)
Fistful of Beard - White Bluff
Dwight Yoakam - It's Never Alright
The Departed - Prayer for the Lonely
Shooter Jennings - The Long Road Ahead

The Pollies - Ashes of Burned Out Stars

Horsehead - God Damned the Rain to Fall
Brent Cobb - Diggin' Holes

Ronnie Fauss - This Year

Corb Lund - One Left in the Chamber
Uncle Lucius - Pocket Full of Misery
Kendrick Lamar - B*tch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Ryan Bingham - Western Shore
Kathleen Edwards - A Soft Place to Land
fun. - Some Nights
Zac Brown Band - The Wind
Bonnie Raitt - You Can't Fail Me Now

Alabama Shakes - Heartbreaker

Gretchen Peters - The Matador

ZZ Top - I Gotsta Get Paid

EL-P - The Full Retard
Darrell Scott - Dance in the Darkness
Alan Jackson - So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore
The Deadfields - Carolina Backroads
Smashing Pumpkins - Pinwheels
Blackberry Smoke - Crimson Moon

Lucero - Like Lightning

Marty Stuart - Sundown in Nashville
Kasey Anderson and the Honkies - Some Depression
Roger Creager - Bad Friend to a Good Man

Soundgarden - Blood on the Valley Floor

Josh Abbott Band - Flatland Farmer
Bruce Springsteen - Land of Hope and Dreams

Japandroids - The House that Heaven Built

Old Crow Medicine Show - Ain't It Enough
Lindi Ortega - Use Me
Frank Ocean - Thinkin' About You

Gary Clark Jr. - You Saved Me

Dec 17, 2012

Top 10 Played Most Songs 2012

Photo from Pavement PR

1. Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires - Ain't No Stranger

2. Chris Knight - Little Victories

3. Shooter Jennings - The Long Road Ahead

4. Killer Mike - Big Beast (explicit + R-rated zombie stripper laden video)

5. Marty Stuart - Sundown in Nashville

6. The Pollies - Joe

7. EL-P - The Full Retard (explicit)

8. The Dirty Guv'nahs - 3000 Miles

9. The Gaslight Anthem - Here Comes My Man

10. Lucero - On My Way Downtown

(1 song per artist)
*Based on iTunes plays count, not favorite songs

Oct 2, 2012

Album Review: The Pollies - Where the Lies Begin


In recent years, the term "indie rock" has fallen out of favor with me. Maybe it's the hipsters of that scene. Maybe it's Pitchfork's gushing over bands named after animals. Maybe it's the obtuse lyrics, the sung in a can vocals or the incessant krautrock riffs used over and over. Whatever it is, I've moved away from the coldness and elitism of that musical classification.

So here are The Pollies, a band which can probably best be described as indie rock, with their new album Where the Lies Begin, and I have to reconsider. There's nothing cold, obtuse or elitist about this sound. It's open, inviting, passionate and tuneful. It's twangy, but not southern rock. Soulful, but not R&B.

The Pollies fit somewhere in the stratosphere of Drive-by Truckers, Alabama Shakes and Lucero, as a band with their hearts on their sleeves, but their music not so easy to define. I'll just call Where the Lies Begin good music.

There are bits of country, folk, garage rock, Muscle Shoals soul (the band is from there), and other genres. The songwriting is fluid and straight-forward, never difficult to grasp, yet layered enough to allow for interpretation and personal emotional response. There's nothing pretentious about The Pollies' brand of indie rock. It's a big tent that anyone's welcome under and most readers of FTM would probably appreciate. Not immediately, mind you (which is a good thing), but this band definitely grows on you.

My favorite track is probably the epic "Ashes of Burned Out Stars" but you can't go wrong on this album. Highly recommended to fans of any of the artists I mentioned plus Jason Isbell, Uncle Lucius or Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires.

Side note: What's in the water in Alabama lately??? It's becoming quite the musical hotspot.


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Stream the album here (or purchase for only $5!!): http://www.polliesband.com/

Sep 14, 2012

YouTube Gems: The Pollies

From their forthcoming album, Where the Lies Begin, here are The Pollies with their absurd new video for "Something New."

Sep 13, 2012

Best Albums of 2012 So Far: September


New to the chart this month: The Pollies, Chris Knight, Uncle Lucius and the John D. Hale Band.


1. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - There is a Bomb in Gilead


2. Marty Stuart - Nashville, Vol. 1 Tear The Woodpile Down

3. The Pollies - Where the Lies Begin (Release Date: Oct. 2)


5. Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street



7. Arliss Nancy - Simple Machines



9. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

10. Shooter Jennings - Family Man

11. Blackberry Smoke - The Whippoorwill

12. Darrell Scott - Long Ride Home

13. John D. Hale Band - More Than I Can Handle (Release Date: Sept. 25)

14. Jason Eady - AM Country Heaven

15. Kellie Pickler - 100 Proof

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