By: Moose Gronholm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHR1PcfVGSc
Blur the Line: Those Darlins gut Rock N Roll and
Make it New Again.
Those Darlins are hitting the road with the release of
their third album! Those Darlins
formed in Nashville in a college town just outside of their hometown,
Murfreesboro, TN. Their hometown had a pretty good music scene and through that
scene they were able to meet, find similar interests and started playing
together. Jessi had wanted to become a Veterinarian or a homeopathic healer,
each great professions to get into, but lucky for us she found the guitar and
these fine folks. In a way Those Darlins are healers as music can be
therapeutic. Blur the Line is certainly proof of that.
Blur the Line melds the different styles that
encapsulate them. Those Darlins
are; Jessi on guitar and vocals, Nikki on guitar and vocals, Linwood on drums,
and a newly added bassist Adrian Barrera who they met on tour a couple years
ago. They bring their punk rock, soul, and straight up rock and roll influence
to the forefront on this masterful album. They do not “blur the lines” they
take the inside reaction from outside influences, which Jessi was kind of
enough to tell me in a recent interview, and slap it on this thirteen song
album.
This first track “Oh God” kicks it all
off with a slow build into a rock and roll ending. Asking “Oh God what I have
done?” As the album progresses they keep the punk and rock influence on this
record driving, with songs such as “Optimist” and “Drive.” Towards the end of
the album “Western Sky” has just an easy driving melody with the chant of “I
don’t want to hear another civilized war, let’s make our own noise.” That could
sum it all up, but as the album comes to a close with the last track “Ain’t
Afraid”, the vocals get gritty and the wall of sound bleeds through the
straight up rock n’ roll that has driven the album.
For these folks this album isn’t a
coming of age, rather, this album brings the listener to where they are right
now in their musical lives. Sure, growing up with Appalachian songs is at their
core, but they have found their sound and they are running with it. The record
was wrote over the course of two years and according to Jessi, “The goal was to
write a new album, because we are musicians, and that is our job. We wanted to
represent ourselves and where we were at as people. It’s kind of like therapy
ya know? We’re all crazy people we need music to make something positive out of
it.” This album definitely conveys that emotion and feeling. With the help of
Roger Moutenot of Haptown Studios in Nashville, the producer of the album, who
helped them pick out 14 tracks to focus on the album keeping that feeling alive
and present. No looking back just moving and living in the moment.
On the wings of this third album, produced
by Roger Moutenot and created by Those Darlins, hopefully the sky is merely the
beginning. They will be taking this record and their live show across the US,
and hopefully around the world. Those Darlins did something with this album Blur the
Line... they hit the refresh button on rock n roll, they gutted it and made
it new again. It was a refreshing listen to my ears. Cincinnati we have the
honor of welcoming them back on Sunday October 20th at the Northside Tavern. I’d get your
tickets soon!
w/ Gambles
Sunday October 20th
9p Doors / 10p Show
