What if Nick Cave would decide to reinvent himself as an eco-friendly country rock singer with a group sounding like the Tedeschi Trucks Band? Matthew O'Neill's highly passionate songs on his debut album Trophic Cascade are dark and a tad pessimistic, now that humankind is dead set on destroying the environment. O'Neill prefers poetry to preaching, making it a record that can be enjoyed on various levels. if Poisoning The Well is a slap in the face, then a trip to Louisiana might lift the mood a bit.
He assembled a bunch of kick-ass instrumentalists to bring his vision to life, with reed man Stuart Bogie and guitarist Ryan Scott as the stand-out players. The backup vocalists are a bit too smooth - you don't want overcrowd things on an album like this, especially not during the passive-aggressive Alzheimer's Blues.
Matthew O’Neill: vocals, guitars
Jacob Silver: bass
Ryan Scott: guitars
Frank LoCrasto: piano, Rhodes, synth
Robin McMillan: drums & percussion (1,3,4,9-14)
Ray Belli: drums & percussion (2,5,6,7,8)
Shayna Steele: vocals
Dave Eggar: cello
Stuart Bogie: tenor sax, baritone sax, contra clarinet
Jordan McLean: trumpet
Michaela Anne (11) & Dora Shoturma (2,14): background vocals
Trophic Cascade is released Underwater Panther Coalition (2LP, CD, cassette, digital). It's an environmentalist record label that will donate 50% of all profits to frontline Earth protection groups, with a focus on Indigenous rights and clean energy initiatives.
Tracks:- Bridge Builder
- Golden Boy
- Ain't No Way
- Poisoning The Well
- Gates
- Louisiana
- Stand Tall
- 1000 Years
- Alzheimer's Blues
- There You Go Again
- Breakstride
- Telepathy
- Tunkashila
- Relaunching
- 09/09 Brooklyn, NY @ The Safari Room at El Cortez
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