Monday, March 31, 2014

The Falling Birds Native America EP

a3652742716_10


Darling is a wonderful bit of lo-fi rock that will appease fans of the seventies and eighties. With equal parts stoner and hair metal, what The Falling Birds do on this intial track is immediately bash their fans with catchy melodies and Edgar Winter-esque heaviness. The track keeps listeners on the edges of their seats for four minutes, and provides brief hints into the band’s influences. This means that bits and pieces of the early 80s DC hardcore scene can be discerned before the track ceases. If Time Allows is a much more emotive track, one that allows listeners to pick out specific elements of The Falling Birds. By breaking the band up into these initial separate offerings, the impact that If Time Allows has is made all the greater when the walking bass, harmonica, and vocals unite into some call-back to Dylan’s folk.


Arms Out Wide has a tremendous instrumental opening that gradually opens up into a wind-swept sound that takes equal part desert and surf rock. Playing at the periphery, there is brief flashes of a set of grunge and alt-rock influences. This track does well in providing a boost to The Falling Birds’ momentum as they move into Dead Man Walking. The sonic assault that is de rigeur during Dead Man Walking links the seventies rock of Darling with mid-nineties alternative in the vein of Mudhoney and Pearl Jam. A New York Love Song is the final track on the Native America EP, and it establishes a perfect ending for this set of compositions while leaving listeners wonder where The Falling Birds will go on subsequent recordings.


Purchase the Native America EP on The Falling Birds’ Bandcamp, thefallingbirds.bandcamp.com/ .


Top Tracks: Dead Man Walking, A New York Love Song


Rating: 8.6/10


The Falling Birds Native America EP / 2014 Self / 5 Tracks / thefallingbirds.bandcamp.com/ / www.thefallingbirds.com/