OFFICIAL: http://www.alphamulemusic.com/
BANDCAMP: https://alphamule.bandcamp.com/
Written
by Jay Snyder, posted by blog admin
This
Cali-duo works up a good ol’ Mason Dixon moonshine sweat on their debut Peripheral Vision. Though sometimes they ramp up the membership
and play live as a trio or even a full band, the core of the group remains Joe Forkan
(guitar/vocals) and Eric Stoner (banjo/guitar).
Lively opener “Corpus Christi” gallops across desolate American with
hoof-pounding banjo and guitar licks building a deep acoustic foundation for
Forkan’s smoky, gritty vocals to construct gorgeous mantras upon. Soft vocal harmonies and swells of volume
from quiet to surprisingly bombastic yield a piece that’s as subtle as it is
blues and hard-hitting. Light touches of
harmonica and wailing steel guitars yield a total musical package that latches
onto your eardrums, never letting go in the process… Special props go to the greasy tempo slowdown
heard that the 3 minute mark which casts the tune in a darker, drearier light
for its closing moments.
“On
the Moon” is more of an uplifting trot with plucky acoustic guitars and
giddy-up banjo hooks giving way to peppy, hook-laden vocal melodies that are
more of a broad daylight affair than the midnight madness heard on the lead-in
number “Corpus Christi.” Fen Ikner’s
percussion firmly maintains a pocket alongside the energetic upright bass licks
and the catchy whistling melodies. It’s
a nice tune through and through, yet a polar opposite flip from where the album
began. The title track brings in some
gorgeous pedal steel and a traditional slow dance country tempo where dusty
vocals, well-controlled acoustic guitars and a barren little banjo lick search
in tandem for the next watering hole. This
is real deal country; the kind that you rarely hear on the radio anymore and a
stylistic reminder of what this sound was all about before rap and electronica
infiltrated the genre. The lyrical hook
in the chorus (heavily featuring the song’s moniker) is one of the strongest
and most memorable vocal melodies on the entire album. Moodier and bleaker than an overcast southern
sky, “The Distance” features Forkan’s guitar and vocals in the respective lead
roles, delegating Stoner to subtle, atmospheric banjo runs and some of his own
acoustic guitar accompaniment. Jacob
Valenzuela’s crying mariachi trumpet is another nice touch which only furthers
the atmosphere of this magic track.
Bubbling, boiling Latin-themed percussion enriches this piece with an
instrumentally organic groove that’s draped in layer upon layer of swirling,
sweltering aural sweetness.
The
funky, jazzy “Pavlov” is a pure representation of Nashville-bred, ol’ school
honky-tonking with a rollicking upright bass line and crash n’ bang acoustic
licks propelling the husky rockabilly vocals forward into an endless desert
sunset. This is Alpha Mule at their most
upbeat and swinging; grappling with a groove and wrestling it into
submission. “Mule in the Mine” takes the
energetic pacing one big step forward by careening the tempo into a bluegrass
boogie that’s as contagious as their stellar songwriting gets. A waltzing bass line, twinkling acoustic
guitars and pristine steel melodies inflect “Step Outside” with a certain
modicum of pop appeal thanks to sweeping 2-part vocal harmonies that hit all of
the right notes. Rounding out the album,
“The Ballad of Huell Howser” combines busy bluegrass with a soothing folk
guitar work out, “Music of Our Hearts” returns to the horns and mariachi
influences and closer “Empire” is a dreamy, pitch-black blues/folk apparition
with haunting vocals bewitching the brainstem and sullen string work bathing
the melodies in spectral darkness.
With
5 bonus tracks in tow and a main album that’s delightful in every respect,
Alpha Mule lays down the law on Peripheral
Vision. This is soulful stuff that
draws its most clear inspirations from great musical styles that are now
decades old. Anyone that’s into folk,
country, blues, bluegrass and Western film scores would do well to score a copy
of this record ASAP!
No comments:
Post a Comment