Based in New London CT and subsequently San Luis Obispo CA, Quiet Life has settled in Portland and brought with them an excellent new album off of Mama Bird Recording Company. Wild Pack (releases on 10/29) blends classic indie folk with tambourine revival-stomp and covers it all in a healthy shade of the blues. Among other influences the band (whose members have been involved in such projects as Delorean, Hip Hatchet and Holy Sons) attribute Wild Pack‘s inspiration to "the road and women". This is particularly evident in the poignant lyrical focus on lost love and the torment of a restless lover. Aside from the lyrics, the blues ache seeps particularly into the track, "Low Blues" a dusty rambler of a busy guitar blues to the beat of nothing but a tambourine (no vocals either). "Devils Kin" chugs along like a Velvet Underground tune complete with a Lou Reed drawl. "New London" is an epic build up of a ballad where organ drone layered with careful, quiet keys stack into a raucous harmonica jam.The organ shines nicely in the album as a whole whether it is beaming chords clear and true, growling them into existence, or just purring with idle vibrato. In short, these guys know how to make a record and Wild Pack certainly deserves your ears. – Ted Jamison
