It’s no longer a secret. Nashville is a great town. On top of the culture, it rivals some of the best music scenes in the country. And with bands like Paramore and Kings Of Leon emerging from the southern mecca it continues to prove that it’s not just for those who like to wear cowboy boots.
The latest rock band to release an impressive record out of Nash-vegas is Oddnote. The only ‘odd’ thing about them is that they’ve only been together since last summer yet sound like a band who’s been writing and performing together for years.
“Money Comes, Money Goes” may be my favorite track on the album. I love the raw guitar. It’s a guitar riff that’s catchy as hell; it reminds me of a Muse riff. It’s fun, hard rock.
Frontman Arman Asadsangabi said he wants to create a ‘deep, spiritual and meaningful experience for the listener.” That may be why there are plenty of experimental tracks sprinkled throughout the album, some of it being very dissonant, intense, or dramatic. It’s different. I dig it.
But this album as a whole is impressive for a debut because I believe it certainly foreshadows some possible commercial success — especially if they play great live.
The music is alternative, sure — it resembles Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana, The White Stripes, etc. Most rock bands don’t have any commercial success after their first album, especially right now, a time when rock no longer consistently makes it to the top of the charts. But I love Asadsangabi’s vocals. And Joseph Downing and Rocko Beall absolutely destroy on the axes.
It’s nearly impossible to predict which bands will ‘make it,’ and which won’t. But Asadsangabi’s vocals are timeless within the hard rock realm. And the music from this album urges adventure. It’s music that motivates. And it may just be the punch-to-the-gut hard rock that can still appeal to a large audience.
Oddnote is definitely on my radar.
Checkout the band’s music and possible tour dates here.
Josh Helmuth is a lifetime music lover who listened to way too much Blink-182 in high school. Follow him here.
