{"id":27960,"date":"2017-10-25T15:28:58","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T23:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/?p=27960"},"modified":"2017-10-25T15:28:58","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T23:28:58","slug":"alyeska-is-a-musical-force-for-the-future-check-out-our-favorite-track-ribs-and-greens-off-stellar-crush-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2017-10\/alyeska-is-a-musical-force-for-the-future-check-out-our-favorite-track-ribs-and-greens-off-stellar-crush-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"Alyeska Is A Musical Force For the Future–Check Out Our Favorite Track “Ribs and Greens” Off Stellar “Crush” EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We have been fans of LA-based band\u00a0A<\/strong>lyeska<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>since\u00a0early January 2016<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>Simply put, singer-songwriter-guitar-player\u00a0Alaska Reid <\/strong>is one of the best new female musical artists on the scene. In addition to being a stentorian guitar player,\u00a0Reid<\/strong> writes sterling melodies and affecting lyrics, and possesses one of the most nuanced voices in all of indie rock. In our interview with Reid\u00a0<\/strong>for this article, she\u00a0cited Joni Mitchell<\/strong>\u00a0(her alternate-tunings in particular) as one of her guitar-player influences (together with J Mascis<\/strong> of Dinosaur Jr.<\/strong> and her uncle P.W. Long<\/strong> of 90s band Mule<\/strong>). But you can also hear Joni’s<\/strong> effect (her mezzo-soprano inflections and vibrato) in\u00a0Reid’s<\/strong>\u00a0alluring vocals (aided by Reid’s<\/strong> classical and jazz vocal training). Combining Reid’s<\/strong>\u00a0teeming talents (she’s also whip-smart and driven) with the other band members (original member Ben Spear<\/strong> on drums and, most-recently, multi-instrumentalist Wolf Woodcock<\/strong>) results in a powerful, artful ensemble. And on this year’s superb Crush<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0EP the band (sans-Wolf<\/strong>) was produced by perfectly-matched\u00a0producer\u00a0John Agnello<\/strong><\/a> (Dinosaur Jr.,<\/strong>\u00a0Kurt Vile, Phosphorescent, Hop Along, Alvvays<\/strong>, etc.). The result, in Crush’s<\/strong><\/em> tracks and other songs, is a musical tour de force.<\/p>\n

As mentioned above, after first floating on their song Medicine River<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, we next gave glowing reviews to Alyeska’s<\/strong> exceptional\u00a0EverGlow<\/strong><\/a>. And then earlier this year, the band released the eight-song\u00a0Crush<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0EP, with its Tilt-A-Whirl<\/strong><\/em> ear-worms and other guitar-strong songs such as the Replacements<\/strong>-inspired\u00a0Motel State of Mind<\/strong> <\/em>and Sister Buckskin<\/strong><\/em>. But the song that immediately collard [sic] us was the opener Ribs and Greens<\/strong><\/em>. We remain surprised that it hasn’t been singled out by other critics. So here we go.<\/p>\n

The song begins with Reid<\/strong> strumming in the key of Creedence\/Marshall Tucker<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>before her distinctive vocal and harmonies take over and take you back to her home in Montana. Asked about the song’s lyrics, Reid<\/strong>\u00a0told us the imagery came to her as she walked around her hometown, wistfully gauging the reflection of Christmas lights in windows and considering the changes observed in friends as contrasted with the static, rosy images held in her head. Reid<\/strong> also told us that the song’s incantatory lines “I remember when ‘meant-to-be’ became coincidence” sings for both the dashed illusions of a broken relationship and of life itself. Regardless, it captures well life’s intermittent lost lusters. A bubble bursts and you float away. Musically,\u00a0Reid<\/strong> says the song is a composite of compiled riffs, as complemented mid-song by a guitar-jig lick she attributes to the country-influence of her uncle P.W.<\/strong>\u00a0And we hear Agnello’s<\/strong>\u00a0production hand, like when he trickles in treacly triangle-like touches. In sum, the song endearingly taps into our (and your) nostalgic yearnings for places and people left behind. And musically it moves us on down the line. Listen to\u00a0Ribs and Greens<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0below. We dare you not to to punch the “Repeat” button.<\/p>\n

Asked about future plans, Reid<\/strong>\u00a0says there are new songs in the works and, though she wouldn’t say with whom or when, the band’s manifold options are currently being explored. \u00a0We expect an ever-glowing horizon and ever-growing future for\u00a0Alyeska<\/strong> and the tremendously talented Reid<\/strong>. Check them out!<\/p>\n