OK, now for clich’-o-matic lightening round. They’re a little bit country, a little bit rock ’n’ roll. A little backwoods melancholy, a little post-modern Wilco deconstructionism. Well I guess I lose. That’s nearly always the case with bands who adopt anachronistic vocal affectations and rootsy dust bowl posturing to boost their alt-country cred: everyone loses.
Rollo Greb manages to succeed for the most part in bridging the gap between Steinbeck and Nickelback. The result isn’t as repugnant as you might think. The modern rock edge is a little misplaced on the first two tracks. It’s a shame that we have to wade through half the record to find their best work. ’Bluefront’ is a nice attempt, and it is easily one of the best songs on the album. The swirling noise and loops beneath a sparse flattop arrangement fall into step with the classic country shuffle on the snare. ’Sadie’ stumbles in a few songs later with a bluesy ’Stones swagger. The guitar shimmers and swells throughout the conservative fills and solos played with the care of someone like Mark Knopfler.
It may be the niche that they are trying to carve, but there’s more going on here than Americana meets aggressive FM rock and roll. As the second half of the record unfolds, it only gets better. Occasionally they try to wedge a solo where it doesn’t belong or distort something that ought not to be distorted. The last song, ’Dear Lady,’ finally puts all the pieces together. There’s more of the experimentation that underpins the relevant Americana and so-called ’freak-folk’ outfits, but they maintain interest in preserving that accessible rock edge. And it works. A whole album of ’Dear Lady’-esque material would turn some heads.
