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

Saturday, November 7, 2020

#470 : The Boxmasters - Light Rays



2020 – KeenTone Records

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 7, 2020

It’s always a delight to hear new music from The Boxmasters.  With Light Rays, the tenth release from J.D. Andrew and Bud Thornton, the band delivers a dozen fabulous brand-new songs.  Each of them, written and performed with a deep appreciation for the early years of rock and roll. 

Beginning as a song from Bud to his daughter, “Breath Easy” is a lovely and poppy, feel-good anthem dedicated to parenthood.  It is a great song to open with and segues quite nicely into “Satellite Guy”, which I absolutely adore.  “Satellite Guy” has a sort of REM meets Big Star vibe, filled with infectious guitar riffs.  The captivating beat sounds great with a fabulous dose of organ on the side.  Doused with the delectable twang of Andrew’s guitar, “Thirteen Days” becomes this heart-racing ballad about a looming deadline for love.  It’s such a terrific song.

There’s a definite air of ominousity about title-track “Light Rays”.  Innocently beginning with this stellar line, “Please keep the Beatles album that I gave you.  Just like me some night it might save you.”, this wonderfully dark crooner song, soon takes a delusional stalkery-like direction.  It’s one of my favorites.  “Drag” catches my attention quickly too, with its Blondie-esque intro.  It perfectly captures the inner feelings that surface when I’m around strangers in a formal setting.  I’m happy to meet them, but I’m also so very happy to leave.  Resurrecting the long-lost art of misfortunate love songs, Andrew and Bud bring us “Downey Girl”.  This tragic tale of a love lost in a helicopter crash, where lawnmower blades and ceiling fans spark haunted memories, is based on an actual event which happened in 1968.

Reminiscent of the variety of rock songs one would hear on AM radio in the Sixties, this record is a testament of the Boxmasters love for early rock.  Light Rays is such a splendid album, it truly shines. 

---

 

 For more information about the artist, visit this website : theboxmasters.com

 

 

Take a listen to the album on Apple Music, and if you decide to purchase it, use my special link.  This helps keep the PhillyCheeze site going.





Saturday, October 13, 2018

#357 : The Boxmasters - In Stereo!



2018 –The Boxmasters

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 13, 2018

Billy Bob Thornton (aka Bud) , Teddy Andreadis and J.D. Andrew are back with In Stereo!.  This latest release from the Boxmasters captures the sounds and vibe of the early Sixties when the Beatles and Beach Boys were battling for king of the hill.  Loaded to the gills with nineteen songs similar in stylings to their previous album, it was originally referred to as Tea Surfing Too by the band before officially being titled. 

I quickly locked into “Clear Enough” a quirky poetic anthem with a garage punk attitude about respecting one another’s differences and personal space.  It’s catchy as hell, and I love the full-body sound.  Starting with a swoon-worthy melody and topped with the wonderful echo-laced sounds of surf guitar, “Rise Above Me” is a beautifully performed piece.  I also fall hard for the astral, Pink Floyd tendencies and Sgt. Pepper influences    laced in “Psychedelic”.  It’s brilliant to say the least.  The swirly organ accompaniment behind the thick twang of guitar gives the Beach Boys-infused “Best Girl” a taste of pop psychedelia.  A racing intro carries “Never Want to Leave California” into a dreamy place to land, as Thornton reflects upon The Golden State amid contemplating the termination of a failing relationship.  Recorded as a live performance in Florence, Alabama, “Emily” brings In Stereo! to conclusion in a Romantics-style ode to greasy-spoon crushes.

The Boxmasters’ ability to not be pigeonholed into any particular flavor of rock and roll as they dance around them all is uncanny and wonderful.  In Stereo! is indeed a delightful listen.      


---