Album Review: Mission South, Migration Vol. 2
Genre: Rock/Blues
RIYL: Black Keys, Ben Harper, Avett Bros.
I pressed the play button on Mission South’s Migration Vol. 2 on a lazy Sunday morning, hot coffee in hand watching the clouds roll through an overcast sky outside my window. In an instant, I was transported from Puget Sound to southern coastal waters. The Washington D.C. trio - Dan Miller (vocals, guitar), John Beck (bass, vocals) and Max Harwood (drums) - looks nothing like they sound, and posses charisma to spare on this highly confident record. Migration Vol. 2 is the second of a three-phase recording effort that intends to capture the band’s evolution from childhood friends to professional musicians.
The EP opens with a great instrumental track that smartly sets the tone, atmospheric and familiar. While the intro may lead the listener to lean in, “Free” eases you back and ebbs and flows so sweetly with a simple, lilting melody and well-placed harmonies. Lead single “Peaches” drives a little deeper and harder into classic southern rock sensibilities. It’s dynamic and definitely nods a little more distinctly into the direction of some of the more popular Black Keys singles or Robert Randolph - guitar heavy, but still laying right in the pocket of the groove. It’s not difficult to understand why they would choose to lead with this song, but it’s songs like “Saint” that set bands apart from their peers.
This is a lovely, pure, lyrical effort that rides a simple and elegant melody and showcases singer and guitarist Dan Miller’s true potential. The transition moves straight into “Photographs and Fables,” yet another track that drips with a soulful and dynamic strength that hearkens to what I can only describe as Ben Harper meets Jimi Hendrix. “thriller” caps off this record in fine fashion, reaching further into the band’s bag of tricks to push their sound outward while firmly keeping with the overall sound that defines this record.
The Mission South sound is timeless but fresh, and impressive in its fiercely honest and unaffected tone. This effort is focused, and that shines through the songwriting and arrangement. Nothing about this record feels disingenuous or unintentional. Success and notice for Mission South wouldn’t surprise this writer one bit; they have the magic. The songs laid out here lend themselves to what I can only assume would be a killer live show. I look forward to the next part of their migration.
Migration Vol. 2 (free download): http://music.missionsouth.com/
Mission South website: http://www.missionsouth.com/
This review originally appeared on Indie-Music.com at: http://www.indie-music.com/ee/index.php/blog/comments/review_mission_south_migration_vol._2
RIYL: Black Keys, Ben Harper, Avett Bros.
I pressed the play button on Mission South’s Migration Vol. 2 on a lazy Sunday morning, hot coffee in hand watching the clouds roll through an overcast sky outside my window. In an instant, I was transported from Puget Sound to southern coastal waters. The Washington D.C. trio - Dan Miller (vocals, guitar), John Beck (bass, vocals) and Max Harwood (drums) - looks nothing like they sound, and posses charisma to spare on this highly confident record. Migration Vol. 2 is the second of a three-phase recording effort that intends to capture the band’s evolution from childhood friends to professional musicians.
The EP opens with a great instrumental track that smartly sets the tone, atmospheric and familiar. While the intro may lead the listener to lean in, “Free” eases you back and ebbs and flows so sweetly with a simple, lilting melody and well-placed harmonies. Lead single “Peaches” drives a little deeper and harder into classic southern rock sensibilities. It’s dynamic and definitely nods a little more distinctly into the direction of some of the more popular Black Keys singles or Robert Randolph - guitar heavy, but still laying right in the pocket of the groove. It’s not difficult to understand why they would choose to lead with this song, but it’s songs like “Saint” that set bands apart from their peers.
This is a lovely, pure, lyrical effort that rides a simple and elegant melody and showcases singer and guitarist Dan Miller’s true potential. The transition moves straight into “Photographs and Fables,” yet another track that drips with a soulful and dynamic strength that hearkens to what I can only describe as Ben Harper meets Jimi Hendrix. “thriller” caps off this record in fine fashion, reaching further into the band’s bag of tricks to push their sound outward while firmly keeping with the overall sound that defines this record.
The Mission South sound is timeless but fresh, and impressive in its fiercely honest and unaffected tone. This effort is focused, and that shines through the songwriting and arrangement. Nothing about this record feels disingenuous or unintentional. Success and notice for Mission South wouldn’t surprise this writer one bit; they have the magic. The songs laid out here lend themselves to what I can only assume would be a killer live show. I look forward to the next part of their migration.
Migration Vol. 2 (free download): http://music.missionsouth.com/
Mission South website: http://www.missionsouth.com/
This review originally appeared on Indie-Music.com at: http://www.indie-music.com/ee/index.php/blog/comments/review_mission_south_migration_vol._2
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