Catfish Haven returns with their second full length LP from the Secretly Canadian label, "Devastator". The Chicago IL based trio offers up 13 tracks of raw, melodic, rock and roll that is a perfect compliment to a cold mug of beer.
While not offering anything that is sonically new or unique,
Catfish Haven deftly incorporates elements of Southern Rock, Garage-pop, and
Classic Rock that results in a fun, accessible, LP chock full of music that
deserves to be danced to. Pressed on a
120 gram piece of vinyl, this mostly studio recording is also packaged with a
free digital download of the entire album.
I found the vinyl pressing had a very quiet background and that the
studio tracks in particular possessed a forgiving soundstage that resulted in a
comfortable, engaging listen. The high
end was crisp and clean without sounding overly harsh, and the midrange and
vocals were clear and concise. I found
that the low end was controlled and pleasant, although on the one live track,
it was slightly muddied.
Musically, the album gives more than a slight nod to bluesy jam bands of the past and present, reminding me of Canned Heat, Kings Of Leon, Gomez, and ZZ Top with a pinch of “ Street Choir” era Van Morrison thrown in. Mixed and mastered by Neal Ostrovsky, the guitar and bass driven arrangements are spiced up with saxophone, keys, harmonica and thick harmony vocals. The lyrics and music are simple in the best possible sense of the word, allowing the listener to identify with the music without grinding the party to a halt.
“Devastator” is a high energy, soulful dose of good
old-fashioned barroom rock that is heartily recommended to those of us that
want to experience the party atmosphere of the neighborhood bar. Solid, simple, fun intent on making you
shake whatever you got.
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