Houndmouth have brought back the old-fashioned virtues of musicianship: (really) well-played instruments, carefully arranged vocals, collective uniformity and the power to move.
Despite its flaws, this is still an impressively confident debut from a band that sound far older than their years.
The four-piece’s debut is a forcefully soulful affair
In its best moments, the album taps into an imagined nostalgia at the same time it grabs some of the weary rock & roll grit that made up greasy classics like Exile on Main St. and Neil Young's Tonight's the Night.
While there's nothing vastly wrong with 'From The Hills Below The City', there's also nothing vastly right.
More purposefully retro than its breakout success followup, "From the Hills Below The City" is a thoroughly solid and back-to-back satisfying collection of rollicking Americana/folk-rock tunes perfectly suited to road trips. The first four tracks in particular serve as something of a thesis statement for the band, emphasizing in equal parts the wild and charismatic vocals of frontman Matt Myers; the country drawl of Katie Taupin; and some intoxicating group harmony choruses. It's not ... read more