The Equatorial Group, consisting of five friends from East Sussex sharing their love of one-note guitar solos, stormy seas, and heartache, recently released their second album. Elvis is a four song EP that sounds like Crazy Horse colliding with Fleetwood Mac, leaning more towards Fleetwood Mac. It’s an interesting collection of songs, that being said, I’m not sure they qualify as Americana/Roots. But that aside, there are many fans who don’t really care which genre a group fits in as long as it’s good music, and ‘Elvis’ is a good EP.The EP opens with the new-age bluesy “Wrong Side”. The track has the laid-back quality of tracks like “Cowgirl in the Sand” or “When You Dance” by Neil Young, but is mixed with the quirky one-note guitar solos and accompaniments reminiscent of the neo-psychedelic movement of the 80s and 90s. “Toy Shark” has a more folky overtone, but does not contain enough melodic or rhythmic variety to sustain it for its full 4 minutes 11 seconds, in my opinion. The quiet “Colourful” doesn’t contain a very creative melody, but I really don’t think it was meant to be that creative or a standout. The song evokes a sense of peaceful, calm atmosphere, which I believe to be its true purpose.
The EP concludes with “Motorbikes”, which is just as enjoyable a listen as the rest, taking on a decidedly more country style, yet still keeping that unique, hypnotic quality The Equatorial Group’s music seems to possess. Overall, Elvis is an enjoyable EP. It’s quiet, slow moving, and more psychedelic. It also makes me wonder where they got the EP name “Elvis” from? The music doesn’t resemble the Legendary King’s music at all, nor does the EP contain a song about the Legendary Rock N’ Roller. I’m not saying anything against the title, it merely makes me curious.
My only issue with this EP is just the fact that it’s really not Americana/Country, which isn’t really an issue for the fans, but more of an issue for me since it was pitched to a blog that covers Country, Americana, and Roots. That aside, fans of Fleetwood Mac, and more psychedelic sounds will love this EP! So if you’re into that or just looking for new music, check Elvis out.
Originally posted here.
