Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Maybe it was the comfort of being home on a lazy boy chair that I had not sat in for many months, or the accidental synchronization of an MSNBC commercial going on behind me to the beat of the music. Whatever it may have been, this album just made sense to me. This young and rising indie band from Orlando gave my ears exactly what they wanted at the exact time they needed it. From the very first drum pick up on the albums first song American Patriot, Band Marino sets the tone for the rest of their album by letting the listener know they are not predictable. Indeed as the album goes on, it becomes more evident that the only constant factor within the structure of each song and their stylistic features is the band’s ability to surprise you. As I listened to the first song, my first impression of Nathan Bond’s voice was that of a 70’s female rock singer with a hint of Bob Dylan. The folk-like feel of the band is evident in the band through their diverse instrumentation, including banjos, harmonica, train whistle, and jaw harps, but it is first of all inherit in Nathan’s voice, which is truly the driving force behind most of the band’s energy. All these elements put together make it so that the music seems timeless, while its origin is distinctly American.

As the album continued on I noticed an organic feel to it. Every single entrance made complete sense in context, and it became obvious to me that this band knew how to make full use of their talent to create a “wall-of-sound” that is coherent and always well crafted. Although there are slower and simpler songs such as Feel it in the Air, Song for a Melody, and the closer Dear Balladeer, they never seem to stay that way for long, and usually take a turn to something more intricate, and with a heavier texture. Indeed one of the things that attracted me the most to the bands was this shameless attitude about its music. It seems that in the independent music scene, the latest reactionary trend to hardcore and screamo has been to bring back folk music both instrumentally and also stylistically. While this is definitely true of Band Marino, they have taken the concept further with an attitude that reminds me of the Beatle’s White Album, in which there is a constant need to move between styles and moods. The kind of confidence that says, yes we will a song with a ho-down, and no we do not care what you think.

Some of the highlights in the album include the opener American Patriot which includes some great and unexpected chanting that comes in just when you think you have the song figured out and Chasing Rainbows with a light and laid back feel of a group of friends playing around a bonfire. The album does have some weaker songs, such as the almost minute-long Elephants Are Grey (Elephants Are Blue) which is fun but breaks the momentum of the album a bit, and the song Como Se Dice Senorita which begins a bit out of character. However, these minor disappointments do not even last the entire song, and often have you dancing again in minutes.