Sometimes, when you least expect it, a record comes along and sweeps you off your feet. Needless to say I hadn’t herad of Limbeck before ‘Hi, Everything’s Great’ landed on my doormat, but I’m glad it did. Imagine the likes of The Get Up Kids or The Anniversary gone country and you won’t be far away. The TGUK comparisons will be regular because of the fact they have recorded with acclaimed producer Ed Rose, released on Doghouse and recorded in Kansas, but the fact is Limbeck deserve to be spoken about in their own right.
This record is neatly done from start to finish. The sleevenotes come complete as a book of postcards, the message making up the lyrics, and the whole feel has an honesty rarely shown nowadays without becoming cliched in an emotional form. Limbeck – made up of Robb MacLean, Patrick Carrie, Justin Entsminger and Matt Stephens – have a charm and appeal that will surely make waves, especially as they are set to tour the UK in the coming weeks. Tracks like the opening ‘Honk and Wave’ hint at a country twang, but don’t let that put you off as instead it carries a more natural sound which allows the melodies to explode around you.
The songs touch on relationships and honesty but mainatin a thoroughly detailed style throughout, reflecting on personal issues that have touched the band as a whole. It’s this attention to detail which reflects how impressive this band really are. ‘Julia’ reminds me of the likes of 90s popster Gin Blossoms, carrying a charm and sense of melody that will have you tapping and singing along in no time at all and ‘I Wrote This Down’ has a similar effect. The band do the stripped down thing really well too, carving out an emotional path during ‘The Sun Woke The Whole State’, but Limbeck remain better at the more up-tempo pop songs, with ‘Tan + Blue’ one of the best on the record.
Limbeck have come out with a mini-classic with this release, a record which carries power, honesty, emotion and melody in equal measure, without ever coming across as trite or impersonal. In a time where music often carries too much power and the subtleties get lost in a sea of rage or riffs, Limbeck show being quiet can be just as cool.
www.limbeck.net
Paul