In a current mainstream music climate that views each new song as a disposable commodity, solid musicianship is hard to come by. Which is why it is so refreshing to hear Pine & Battery’s new album, 2. The new release seamlessly blends the styles of Alternative, Rock and Pop into an epic statement to let down your walls and accept life as it comes. From the first track, to the last song front-man Jeff Campbell on guitar offers the perfect counterpoint to Andy Weller’s searing guitar leads while bassist AJ Leighton and drummer Rick Munoz lays down the perfect rock rhythm.
With the first song Alibi, the theme of the album is set as Campbell sings to there are no alibis left, he can see through the facade. With the problem identified, on the next song Brass Tacks Campbell tells us “It’s time to let go.” But even without listening to the words of Campbell’s strong vocals, the guitars throughout the next two songs and the entire album give the listener a sense of becoming free as they weave across the rhythm like a kid in a galactic playground.
The turning point of the album comes with the fifth track, Tide, which aptly lives up to its name as the song starts off with a somber guitar and drums that seem to roll in like the tide. In the song accepting what we have been given finally becomes clear as Campbell belts out “In spite of everything tides bring what they bring/ and wash you away before you’re gone.” With that, the song builds up to a crescendo then dissipates into a hopeful coda which setting up the next song Latest & Greatest perfectly as it rockets out the gate.
Finally our electric journey ends with the epic and brooding song God. In the song, Campbell leaves us admitting that he will never really for sure the mysteries of life and yet somehow he is ok with this. This sentiment is echoed nicely with the raw sweeping guitars that seem to reverberate across the dimensions of time. From start to finish, 2 is a solid listening experience which makes me wish there were more bands like Pine & Battery, who actually release statements with substance.
-Nick Codling
Check out Pine & Battery on April 23rd at Bottom of the Hill.