Mountain Meadows. The words conjure up images of green pastures littered with wild flowers bathed in sunlight and white rabbits hop through the grass blissfully. Listening to Mountain Meadows the Polaris Prize short listed album from Elliott Brood it’s obvious that in their version of Mountain Meadows those lush hill tops have been clouded over with a violent storm – refreshing and welcome by it’s sheer presence but dark and volatile by nature.
Elliott Brood will one day win a Polaris Prize, but I feel this year is not their year. This year they are the band that is too strong to ignore; with an album that is consistently good from top to bottom. Thematically it’s strong, and production (maybe it’s strongest area) is magical at points, the album has moments where your mind will escape into it, but I found myself always losing a connection at some point for some reason.
Where Elliot Brood succeeds is not allowing their music and songwriting to have limits. Any band that banjo picks usually succumb to the “bluegrass” label instantly, but not Elliot Brood. You hesitate to label them a bluegrass band or a country band or even a rock band, when you hear this album it’s just good music – and good music is limitless.
No comments:
Post a Comment