What can I say? The best live band in Canada get it down on tape. The result is a bit polished but not for the worse. All of Green started as a reggae fusion band playing the typical "saltwater funk" sound of Maritime jam bands in the late '90s and 2000s, and have since progressed toward a more straight-up indie rock sound, a lot like their contemporaries Grand Theft Bus. That's not to say that the older, more esoteric influences don't peak their heads up. Name me another indie CD with this much soul. There are no weirdly automatic guitars or prosaic voices ala Death Cab and Midlake, though AOG love those bands. Instead, we get chunky clean rhythm and distorted leads like in reggae in funk, mixed with the strange, literary sensibilities of Canadian rock like the Weakerthans and the Rheostatics (song subjects including zombies, Archie comics, and the life of Christ). We are also treated to hardcore-style breakdowns, the most notorious of which is to be found on "It's Over Now." If Caleb Crandall isn't an indie hero in a couple years, I'll eat my hat. This album has been four years in the making, what with the numerous lineup changes and all that jazz, but the group still manage to cram in enough oldies to please fans and some new material, as well. Destined to be the best debut and/or album of 2008.
                            Read more...