For those who wish Radiohead would write more songs with melodies and verses and choruses, Red Bellows‘ EPONE is a record for you. Although it won’t be apparent to you until track two, Phonetic.
That’s because EPONE begins instead with the bluesy rocker, L.S. Blues which rides a swelling guitar tide before shifting into a driving, marching rock song with nods to classic Led Zeppelin.
But as soon as the vocals on kick on Phonetic the Thom Yorke-ish vocals tell the story of this young band. Guitars and keys interplay with one another through the next five tracks that make up the EP. As the record progresses the introduction of glitchy electronic embellishments serve to advance the Radiohead-esque mood of the record.
Album closer, Bookends, gets both and electric and acoustic treatments and, as much as the rest of the record shows lots of indie-rock promise, the acoustic version of Bookends is where Red Bellows’ talents shine. The beautiful harmonies and Beatles-like guitar picking highlight what may become a fantastic long-haul band.
The only worry is, with a sound as immediately recognizable as being so strongly influenced by Radiohead, can they rise above and develop their own identity? I think that they can and I hold out hope that they will prove me right.
–George Dow