[rating=7.00]
The Brooklyn-based indie folk rock trio The Lone Bellow is making some waves with their debut self-titled album, and it is easy to see why. Zach Williams, Kanene Pipkin and Brian Elmquist have created a nifty little record that will soothe your soul or help you drown your sorrows, depending on your preference. They make either choice sound appealing and you’ll want to experience it again and again.
“The One You Should’ve Let Go” is emblematic of a lot of the debut’s content, as it features a loping country rock sound and gorgeous three-part harmonies that make your spine tingle while they sing about a relationship that has passed its prime. Numbers like “Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold” show that that despite tracks on the album having titles like “Bleeding Out,” “You Don’t Love Me Like You Used To” and “You Can Be All Kinds of Emotional,” the band can take a more positive approach to dire situations as the upbeat, Mumford and Sonseque rocker features rousing vocals and a repetitive chorus about things being okay despite them being broke and living in a frozen home. And by the time the ballad “Tree to Follow” blasts into a rocking finale with the trio’s vocals sailing to the sky you will feel like you can face the world no matter what.
This trio has undeniable talent, and even though the song structures, content and vocals start to sound too familiar by the end of the record, this is still a pretty good debut that fans of fellow trendy suspender rockers The Lumineers or Of Monsters and Men will find to their liking.
