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For their third album, the five members of Delta Spirit have lit the fuse, opening up the overall sound and punching through with a sonic boom. Gone is the rootsy Americana of 2010’s History From Below and their 2008 debut, Ode To Sunshine. In its place is a big modern rock cacophony that may initially catch listeners off guard but is more in tune with what the band has had in mind all along. “That’s why it’s a self-titled record, so we could connect our identity with the album, because this album is what we think Delta Spirit is”, explains frontman Matthew Vazquez in the album’s accompanying press notes. To assist with this vision, ace indie-rock producer Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Beach House) was brought in to the recording sessions to provide guidance and alignment to the band’s individual tastes and particulars. The production values are noticed immediately as leadoff track, “Empty House” is quickly buoyed by a thunderous strum that carries the song’s simple tale of a construction worker’s spiritual journey to a rapturous conclusion. That big rock sound makes its’ presence felt throughout the album’s 11 tracks and serves to announce Delta Spirit as a force to be reckoned with.
Whereas their past output favored more subdued arrangements that brought the lyricism to the forefront, this album is definitely their rock statement. In addition to the guitar attack, the drums and bass pulse through each song with unabashed importance while keys and synthesizer add layer and nuance previously filled with pedal and lap steel. In all, this new approach works. Not every song is a hit; “Tear It Up” veers into Kings of Leon territory with its repetitive chants and searing guitar notes, and “Time Bomb” gets kinda ‘80’s in a weird way. But, those are minor complaints. This is a good record and a bold declaration by a band that we’ll probably be hearing from for a long time to come as the venues will surely get bigger in order to accommodate both their growing stature and sound.
