Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

What a refreshing group. Foreign Born started in San Francisco late in the summer of 2003, but soon relocated to Los Angeles. After forming, they released their debut single We Had Pleasure, and later recorded and released their debut EP, entitled In The Remote Woods, on Star Time International Records. After that, they went on tour in the US and UK along with bands like Rogue Wave and Cold War kids, and finally found time to write and record their sophomore album, On the Wing Now. After selling only about 500 copies of the album at their shows, they signed a deal with Dim Mak Records in 2007, and re-released the album.

If you ask me, this is a band overdue for a breakout. And with On the Wing Now, I believe that they may finally make it into the mainstream of American music. This is a band that deserves to be recognized, and their unique sound is one that I don’t find myself getting tired of. They define their style as “melodramatic/ambient/folk rock,” but it is even more than that. They blend straight rock with pop, blues, country, and even a little jazz on this record. It is truly a diamond in the rough. If you are a music fan, I urge you to pick up a copy of On the Wing Now, or at least listen to the first single from the album, Union Hall.

This very-unique disc is one that will keep you rocking. Each and every song is unique, but the album somehow fits together as a whole. I don’t know how they did that, but it is a stroke of genius to say the least. I give this album a solid recommendation, and I hope to hear more from these guys in the near future.