Tercera Review From What's Up! Magazine February 2012
By Cameron Deuel
Bellingham’s indie-rock fixture, Keaton Collective, have released their third album, which sounds like a great, cohesive romp.
Rather than writing drastically different styles for every track, Keaton Collective’s range is really shown within each song.
While the album does vary, it never strays far from being guitar-driven, with strong vocals. The vocalist is aware of his range and doesn’t try to leave his comfort zone, which is a plus because he really hones in on a voice that other frontmen probably wish they could attain. It’s a balance between just-woke-up and honest sincerity. The musicianship is also extremely solid due to obvious cohesion from the band.
“You Wanna Battle? Tree” shows Keaton Collective’s ability to move from a typical love song to an amazing breakdown at the very end. “1800 Pounds Of Fur and Thunder,” is another track that showcases their talents. It develops into sweltering groove, with the guitar sounding especially heavy, while the vocalist soulfully sings above the intensity.
The songs on Tercera sometimes sound similar because the songs are unified by their tonality but that doesn’t render them boring, just clearly part of the same album. There are also small hints of country-rock in songs like “Far As We Can Tell” and “End of Times II,” which are welcomed since they give the album more dimensions. These songs are impressively executed and seem like they can only be enhanced through live performance.
By the third album, many bands have established a vehicle for their music but this album sound like Keaton Collective have been together for decades.
Self Released
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