Loved in Spain and garnering a cult fanbase that has seen them share a stage with Bruce Springsteen and even playing Woodstock, The Stormy Monday’s have a cool Americana sound with tinges of Rock, Soul and even Jazz. Their new double EP, “Wading the River†and “The Lay of the Land†is a continuation of their solid work, thanks to poignant musicianship, solid lyrics and a virtual all you can eat of sound.
From the first track, the synergy between Stormy Mondays frontman and guitarist Jorge Otero and fellow guitarist Dani Menéndez is undeniable. If you’re a fan of good guitar work, this band will hook you right away. However with a glockenspiel, piano, a variety of basses and percussion items on a variety of songs, as well as violin, clarinet and sax, the songs are full of an array of sounds. It would be easy to make a mess with so many different “noises,†but there isn’t a song on here that could be classified as such. Expertly arranged, the Double EP never feels forced. Songs such as “My Lil’ Darling†and “Merry-Go-Round†are able to micro manage your ears with a plethora of sounds that end up fitting together like tiny puzzle pieces, creating something much larger than you’d expect. Even cooler, while both EPs flow well into one another, “Wading the River†has more of a rock flavor to it, making the pairing feel much more like a journey than two completely different pieces of work.
Sometimes the music has a language all its own and in the case of this double EP, the musicianship more than makes up for vocals that aren’t as endearing or charismatic as they could be. With a rich, deep sound, they are a band that can play anything and will challenge your ears with every listen, even if they can’t captivate as much as they could with a more-polished vocalist. A perfect example is “Talking in my Sleep,†which has everything but vocals that captivate. Otero has a soft voice and the lyrics are fun, but it’s obvious the song would be so much better sung by someone who speaks English as a first language. The band draws inspiration from bands the likes of Mumford and Sons and Counting Crows (A song like “Love and Fire) will immediately remind you of CC) and from a musical point of view and even composition standpoint they are without a doubt in the same league as bands that have gotten much more media attention over the past few decades. They just don’t have that extra X-factor.
At the same time, it would be crazy to dismiss a band sole based on the vocal work alone. Otero’s lyrics tell a wonderful story over a pair of EPs that you can leave on from start to finish- it just forces you to wonder how charismatic the group could be with a different singer.
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