incommunicado R E V I E W S
The Mining Company (www.miningco.com) - Robin ParrishHey, this is cool. I've never gotten to review a "pre-release" indie project before. Groovy.
New indie group Filet of Soul (and you thought all the good names were taken) is serving up their very first album next month, but I've got the advance scoop for you right here. It's called Incommunicado (another cool original name), and it is far from your average, run-of-the-mill album. Which is a good thing.
The Band
•Adam Beadles - lead vocals, saxophone, & harmonica
•Greg Beadles - guitars & vocals
•Cornelius Freeman - drums
•Randy Chester - bass & vocals
Hailing from Athens, GA, the group was founded over two years ago by brothers Adam & Greg Beadles. But now is the right time, and the right group, they feel, to produce the sound they've always wanted. As for what that sound is... well, it's a little hard to qualify (I told you it was far from average). Adam claims that they once called it "acoustic alt-funk-folk-rock." I found their sound to show an emphasis on the funky over the other attributes. This is one group however, as noted by those cleverly original names above, that thrives on being hard to label. In other words, originality is the name of the game.
The three-song pre-release of Incommunicado I got to hear shows great potential for the group. Top-notch production, refreshingly different songwriting, and solid musical skills underscore this effort. Bill Mallonee of Vigilantes of Love provides those modern production values, while Greg Beadles provides most of the songwriting. "Freight Train" is heavy on the funk groove, while "Away" and "Gravity" are two of the upcoming album's ballad offerings. "Away" comments on different types of people who, for whatever reasons, refuse to accept the love of God and the help that He offers. "Gravity" talks about the "weight" of our actions, and how their consequences hold us down.
Do yourself a favor and check out this new group. You'll be hearing a lot more about them in the future.