INDIE MUSIC DIGEST - Independent Music Reviews

EP REVIEW: Red Weather - "Every Alleyway"

By: Neil Thomas

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Artist: Red Weather
Album: Every Alley Wall (EP)
Label: Independent Artist
Website: www.reverbnation.com/redweatherband
Genre: Rock
Sounds Like: White Stripes + a hint of early Yes/Rush
Technical Grade: 7/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 7/10
Commercial Value: 7/10
Overall Talent Level: 8/10
Songwriting Skills: 8/10
Performance Skill: 8/10
Best Songs: I Wasn’t There, Life of Crime
Strengths; Energy, Songwriting craft, Lyrical Content, consistent style

Weakness: Over-compressed, also lacks some clarity/definition in the guitar sounds

CD REVIEW:

Detroit power three-piece, Red Weather released their debut EP entitled “Every Alley Wall” in 2010. Five original songs with an rhythm and blues edge to their rock style combine to give a flavor of what you can expect to hear from this excellent and very ‘live’ sounding trio. They say you should never judge a book by it’s cover and that is certainly the case here. Without meaning to be unkind, the artwork for the disc is very

The CD launches with “Life of Crime”, a curiously titled, and well crafted lyric setting out Red Weathers stall off with “Temporary Fix: a hooky, mid-tempo acoustic rock piece that gets things going in the right direction. Right from the start this upbeat modern day Monkeys delivers catchy lyrics, and amazing originality. Track 3 “I Wasn’t There” is easily my favorite track on the EP. It begins in bluesy ballad mode with some wonderfully emotive progressions and thought provoking lyrics, expertly contrasted with a growly and rocked up chorus.. a bold move – but one which certainly pays off. There are some beautifully executed harmonies which I think really makes this song. The keyboard touches add a little extra color to the music, well done! The fourth track “Lewis and Clark” picks up the pace again with some fast choppy rhythms. I’m sure I can hear a little early Yes and Rush style influence here, as Red Weather show their musical prowess. The band are having a lot of fun with this track and that is so important. I’m sure that the bands fans get a sense of that when they play live.

The strengths of Red Weathers songwriting and musical dexterity is somewhat compromised by the over-compression which is unfortunate, as I’m sure that if the dynamics had been left alone the overall sound of the band would have been greatly improved. I must admit it took me a little time to get into the vibe of this CD but after a few listens through it really started to grow on me – to the point where I’m wondering if the band will go on to record a full length album – its got to be a good sign when a band leaves you wanting more!

Overall this is a very impressive debut release from Red Weather – made more surprising by the initial impression you get from the CD cover. The information is very poorly laid out and some of it is almost illegible. From a marketing point of view, the sleeve notes are very important. You can have the best music in the world, but if people cant find out about you – then you’ll always be stuck at square one. That said, Red Weather obviously have a lot to offer the Detroit live scene, I hope they can get their website back up and running so that their fans around the globe can keep up to date with what they have to offer.

Neil Thomas

Read the Gordy Hunt Interview