DARLINGSIDE

EP 1

GENRE | A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY

VERDICT | A WHOLE LOT ROCK AND ROLL

LABEL | SELF-PUBLISHED

RELEASE | 7.2.10

DARLINGSIDE.COM

If Sufjan Stevens focused less on soft and fuzzy and a little more on killer balladry, the result would be something akin to this Northampton-based “string-rock” quintet. Folky in a way that occurs when you gather that many hollow-bodied instruments together, Darlingside manages to make it abundantly clear that they’ve got their roots just as much in classic rock as they do in … well, roots.

The EP kicks things off with “Good Man,” a kickin’, country-fried chorus weaving in between mandolin-mended bridges. Not to say that the rest of the album is disappointing—but nothing quite matches the song in terms of amber-hued jam sessions. If anything, with a minor spike in “All That Wrong,” things get mellow as the album progresses. By the time “In the Morning” rolls around, things have gotten downright pleasant. Which was nice of them, but to be honest, I went straight back to the beginning. A good jam is hard to find.

DARLINGSIDE IS AT JOHNNY D’S ON SAT 11.20.10.