Chris Richards & The Subtractions “Peaks and Valleys”
Chris Richards and The Subtractions take the next step in musical evolution. Newly added guitarist Andy Reed, who also works with Richards in their other band The Legal Matters adds his formidable skills. Regulars Todd Holmes(bass) and Larry Grodsky(drums and percussion) round out The Subtractions. And the band’s sound has shifted to be more in line with The Legal Matters crisp melodic style.
Opening with “Half Asleep” it balances the call-and-response guitars with a layer of harmonies and rich chord shifts that puts the band on a new level. “Just Another Season” is a mellower melody with some nice guitar subtleties, but it kicks back in gear with “The Coast Is Clear,” a west coast feel is all over those jangling guitar rhythms. The “hits” keep coming, with the music flowing in high energy peaks (“In A Sense”) and slower tempo valleys (“Wrapped In A Riddle”) throughout. After the album’s midpoint, it settles in a bit with some nicely written songs like “The End of Me” and “Maybe That’s All.” Fans of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, and Matthew Sweet will enjoy the entire album and the cover of Big Star’s “Thirteen” and Sweet’s “Someone To Pull The Trigger” fit well here too. It’s all highly recommended and fits into my yearly top ten list for 2018.
Amazon | Kool Kat Musik
Vamos “1-2-3”
Chicago garage-punks Vamos is different from what I usually review but they have a raw sound that is impossible to ignore. Vamos (Ryan Murphy-guitar/vocals, Will Wood-bass, Josh Lambert-drums) formed during Chicago’s epic blizzard of 2011 and began playing the city’s thriving DIY scene. It took a while but the band finally delivers. Murphy describes 1-2-3 as “a controlled descent into madness and mayhem [where] ghostly echoes and reverberations chase edgy, unforgettable melodies.”
I have to agree with that on the big opener “Force of Nature.” The punk buzzsaw anthems “2Ded4Lyfe” and “Do Wanna” both have Ramones-like energy. “Outsiders” is a damn catchy power pop gem. There is a little bit of filler here, but the good stuff definitely makes up for it. Other great cuts include “I Don’t Care,” “Creeper,” and “I Feel Righteous” which reminded me of early Sweet mixed with Love and Rockets. Highly Recommended.
