Let's head over to Vero Beach, Florida today and check out a fun and tasty offering from LooseTight called "The Diner" which was submitted to 5 Skull Reviews. LooseTight describe themselves as a mixture of progressive rock, funk, and jazz... but I'm also detecting a thick layer of blues influence here.
"Sliders" begins in avant-garde fashion, with flooding guitar chords and a wild Keith Moon style drum intro. The mood cools down for a moment, and the song begins properly after about 30 seconds or so. This is an upbeat, bluesy Strat-rock tune. It's packed with catchy riffs, and has a soul packed guitar solo. The vocals are thick and bluesy, reflecting the vibe of the tune beautifully. This song has a video available.
"Sidedish" shows off the band's jazzier side, turning the tempo up a bit and displaying dizzying acrobatics between the guitar hits and the drum patterns. This instrumental tune had my head spinning, especially around the 2:30 mark when the whole tune stalls for a moment and becomes basically free jazz. This is a cool track.
"Room for more" starts off like a mixture of Rage Against The Machine and The Black Keys, if that makes any sense at all. Another instrumental song, it's stacked with more chunky riffs. The ending of this song is mind boggling, with the drummer deciding to go off on his own and take a heavily syncopated solo. I love music that makes me think.
Back to the blues steeped vocals, "The Appetizer" shows off more tricky rhythm work before shifting mood entirely. Lovely and thick chords make up the bridge, and the song comes back in "Don't Fear The Reaper" fashion. This song is thinking far outside of the box.
"The Main Course" shows off the band's more progressive side as well as a little bit of funk. LooseTight aren't afraid of odd timing and wacky passages, but they manage to bring it back under control and create a song that I can still nod my head to... despite a few moments of "huh, what was that?!"
The final track on the album, "Dessert For Two" is a slower song with a clean guitar vibe. I didn't quite understand some of the note choices in the verse, but the chorus is spectacular. The song has a few breaks, in LooseTight fashion, and they create a Pink Floyd style buildup to the verse. There's also a really cool jam-style lead part at the end.
This record is awesome. It definitely shows off the raw skill of these two players, and kept me on my toes the whole time. The tones on this record are to kill for. The drums sound clean and crisp, and the guitar sounds amazing. I wasn't sure whether it was LooseTight or Stevie Ray Vaughn playing on a couple of those riffs! These guys have a forward thinking and unique sound, and I feel like I've learned something having listened to this. It's quite the mix of styles. You never know what's coming up next, it might be a chunky blues riff or it might be a drum solo. I'm also a huge fan of the song names, choosing to go for a concept on the whole record. It felt like a complete work because everything flowed beautifully and revolved around the concept of eating at a diner.
LooseTight is Nickolas Reed (Drums) and Ben Gillis (Guitar).
I'd like to thank LooseTight for submitting this great album to 5 Skull Reviews! As always, I'd also like to encourage YOU to go listen to this for yourself, and support the band!
"THE DINER"
Type: EP release
Release date: June 2, 2018
Label: Cut-N-Paste Recordings (no longer affiliated)
Tracklist:
01. Sliders (4:07)
02. Sidedish (3:28)
03. Room for more (4:57)
04. The Appetizer (3:52)
05. The Main Course (3:47)
06. Dessert for two (5:39)
How to get it:
Bandcamp:
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THE VERDICT:
4 out of 5 Skulls
