{"id":92,"date":"2012-12-27T00:52:40","date_gmt":"2012-12-27T05:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robpenfold.com\/?p=92"},"modified":"2013-10-13T00:02:11","modified_gmt":"2013-10-13T05:02:11","slug":"grace-potter-the-nucturnals-the-lion-the-beast-the-beat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robpenfold.com\/?p=92","title":{"rendered":"Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – The Lion, The Beast, The Beat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"LionBeastBeat\"
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
The Lion The Beast The Beat
Hollywood Records (2012)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I stumbled across Grace Potter & The Nocturnals a few years ago before anyone in Canada had heard of them and before they had received widespread attention in the US.\u00a0 When asked what comes to mind when the name of this band comes up, most people will mention Grace Potter the leggy blonde with a powerful voice.\u00a0 What I think of, is a great rock band from Vermont who are playing the kind of music that has been sadly missing from the airwaves for twenty years.\u00a0 I could ramble on at length about why I think bands like this is what is need to save music from the plethora of shit that labels try to force on us these days….but I won’t.\u00a0 Just go pick up any one (or all) of their first three albums; Nothing But The Water (2005), This Is Somewhere (2007) or Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (2010).<\/p>\n

Needless to say, I was very excited to learn about this release earlier this year.\u00a0 Then I listened to it.\u00a0 I differ from the “professional” reviewers greatly in my opinion of this album.\u00a0 Who’s right?\u00a0 Both of us.\u00a0 Neither.\u00a0 It doesn’t matter.\u00a0 Music is intensely personal.\u00a0 I listen to music and buy music and go to concerts and play guitar so my opinion is just as relevant as theirs.\u00a0 But I digress.\u00a0 While I do not dislike this album completely, it certainly did not live up to my expectations.\u00a0 GPN for me has always been this great vibey blues infused rock band.\u00a0 The last album had a very 70’s rock feel to it especially the lead single “Paris (Oh La La)”.\u00a0 Lion\/Beast\/Beat is much more experimental.\u00a0 Critics have heralded this as a step forward for the band.\u00a0 They claimed the last album played it too safe.\u00a0 Lyrically, maybe.\u00a0 With this album I think the band has really lost their way.\u00a0 I get that bands evolve and that’s cool.\u00a0 Without evolution The Beatles would never have made Sgt. Pepper or the White Album.\u00a0 This album seemed to be an aimless wander rather than a musical evolution.<\/p>\n

The lead title track and the closing “The Divide” are absolutely stellar experimental rock songs.\u00a0 Both have this building wave of sound quality and is just…holy shit!\u00a0 “The Lion The Beast The Beat” has this great thunderous drum beat like a pulse and the raunchy guitars that Mr. Scott Tournet does oh so well.\u00a0 Both tracks are epic rock songs and Grace’s wailing sexy voice just brings them together.<\/p>\n

“Turntable” and “Timekeeper” are to other highlights for me.\u00a0 They have that classic rock feel and all the elements that make GPN a great rock band; Scott & Benny’s raunchy guitar work, Matt Burr being the coolest drummer ever and of course Grace’s pipes that are very reminiscent of Grace Slick or Janis Jopin.\u00a0 Catherine Popper’s departure on the bass is missed.\u00a0 I’m not sure how well new bassist Michael Libramento fits in live.\u00a0 Scott & Benny recorded much of the bass work.<\/p>\n

What I do not really like about the album is that in its entirety it feels very much over-produced.\u00a0 Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys co-wrote and co-produced portions of this album.\u00a0 While I like The Black Keys I do not like his contributions to this album.\u00a0 Those tracks (Never Go Back, Loneliest Sole, Runaway) are the least GPN.\u00a0 It feels like he was trying to coax them down his path and not theirs.<\/p>\n

The current radio hit “Stars” is the biggest snoozefest on the album.\u00a0 It is an okay song and I think I would have liked it better if it were recorded by someone else.\u00a0 It seems too much reminiscent of Grace’s country duet with Kenny Chesney (which they duet “Stars” on the deluxe CD version of the album as a bonus track).\u00a0 GPN are a rock band (despite what some critics say) and this is a country ballad.<\/p>\n

With all that said, I am not disappointed that I bought the album because there are enough tunes here to keep me interested but in comparison to their earlier efforts I think this albums falls short.\u00a0 There was too much experimentation and not enough attention paid to crafting a cohesive sound.<\/p>\n

Check out this live video for the title track below.\u00a0 Then go get their earlier albums.\u00a0 They are awesome, I promise.
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