Coyote Bones: Gentleman On The Rocks

"Gentleman On The Rocks" by Omaha, Nebraska's Coyote Bones is a very impressive record, both in terms of skill and variety. They've enlisted the help of a large number of impressive names in the world of indie rock, including members of Azure Ray, Bright Eyes, Tilly and the Wall, The Faint and Now It's Overhead. This variety in contributors is evident in the sweet miscellany contained in the various compositions throughout this release. The album opens with "Expire In Style," a Steve Earle-like stab at alt-country, complete with mouth organ and barking dog. Most artists would use the opening track to set the pace for the entire album, but this album is beautiful in its refusal to commit to any specific pace. "Lightweights Drinking" is a driving progressive thump, "Grand Eclipse" dives head first into a shoegazey wading pool and "39 Forever" is a straight forward pop song that wouldn't feel out of place on your typical Counting Crows record. Those are only the first four songs, but they demonstrate the rule that the band chooses to follow, that is, the rule that there ain't no rules. Although there are a couple of less impressive moments, overall the album contains a little something for everyone. A couple more standouts for me are "Don't Lose Your Cool," a slight throwback to the early days of emo and bands like The Get Up Kids or The Promise Ring, and album closer "Your War," which is easily the heaviest and most frenzied track on the album. The scattered pacing of this album also bodes well for their next release, because the chances that Coyote Bones will repeat themselves is basically unthinkable. There are too many different styles being showcased here that the question is posed: which style will they repeat? It'll be interesting to see.

Downloads:
Grand Eclipse mp3
39 Forever mp3

Myspace: Coyote Bones

Purchase: "Gentleman On The Rocks" at the CoCoArt store.