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We have long been vocal critics of The Redwalls, our primary gripe being that the group never really grew out of being the Beatles cover band they started out as.
Tomorrow, the band releases it's third album, titled simply "The Redwalls," and we are pleased to report that the band has finally grown into its own identity. A mutual friend tipped us off a while ago that the group was making some serious changes in their sound, and that friend was indeed right. The vocal emulations still stride firmly on ground broken by John Lennon long ago, but there's a new swing to their sound, and a slightly glam sheen burnishing the more firmly rooted underpinnings of each song. The Redwalls finally sound like a mature rock band, carrying out a vision that is wholly their own.
The band's sound is still certainly rooted in a '70's mentality, but they've been listening more to Television (or, we suspect more probably, The Strokes). Instead of wearing the influence as a shield, the band now allows those sounds to inform their own music, without resorting to mimicry. The album charges out with the one-two punch-n-stomp of "Hangman" and "Modern Diet," briefly slows long enough to swell into the string-drenched splendor of "You Can't Forget Yourself," and continues strongly on without a clunker in the bunch.
Honestly, we never thought we'd write a review like this for The Redwalls, but we're glad we finally have a reason to. Does this mean Kill Hannah's next album might not suck either? It might be time for us to find a new nemesis.
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Please don't speculate that they've been listening to The Strokes, a band that is 80 per cent style and 20 per cent music (oh, and so-so music at best).
I've seen The Redwalls a few times and bought their first major-label album, "DeNova." They're good. I am rooting for them. By the way, there is a long article in this week's "Reader" about them.
The pieces I read about the band stated they were just out of high school or below the drinking age, ect. But everytime I see a photo of 'em they look kinda long in the tooth. Besides that, how many examples do you need that a major deal won't pan out. Have fun playing with Ezuff Znuff!
Shocking that at a casual mention of the Strokes the first post goes directly at their throat.
There's not many folks out there who can see thru the clutter of Strokes' media-hype and indie-snob backlash which ultimately boils down to a consensus "style-over-substance" opinion.... the Strokes are actually very very talented, but that's an opinion that can lose you street cred in Wicker Park, so best just dismiss them as priviliged posers, right Ward?
Yeah, just because I think the band might have taken their cues from The Strokes is meant in no way to denigrate either group. The Strokes write some pretty fucking great songs.