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Product Description
Review
Delta Spirit are almost an Americana tribute band, such is the apparent joyous regard they have for US rock past and the ease with which they summon up many of its finest exponents. History From Below is a phrase used to denote that version of events experienced by ordinary people, and indeed there are songs here that provide a ground-zero level of observation. But there's also a sense in which this album offers a version of American rock history from the perspective of the average working man, suggesting that it has been nothing but bar room boogie and good-time country rock all the way. Which, if you trace a line from Creedence Clearwater Revival to The Hold Steady, is exactly what it has been.
Produced by My Morning Jacket's Bo Koster and Eli Thomson, there are some experimental touches here, such as the treated vocals on Ransom Man and echoey ambience of Devil Knows You're Dead. But this is mostly no-nonsense high-energy rock'n'roll and rootsy authentic singer-songwriter fare, dominated by Matt Vasquez's distinctive quavery vocals. The faster numbers such as 9/11 and Bushwick Blues bring to mind a less-rambunctious Replacements or Wilco with fewer production curlicues, while the slower strum-alongs–Vivian, St Francis–recall the Neil Young of Harvest.
Vasquez has been praised for the southern soul quality of his vocals, and it is a flexible instrument–on Scarecrow, he does a fair impression of a back-porch country picker. If you were being unkind, you might say Delta Spirit were derivative as hell, citing a track like Golden State and its lyric about roads that "stretch a thousand miles in every way". But that's probably the point of a record that almost serves as a primer of, or introduction to, four decades of American freeway rock for wannabe high plains drifters everywhere.
--Paul LesterFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
CD Description
The new Delta Spirit album, entitled History From Below, was produced by My Morning Jacket’s keyboardist, Bo Koster, and Eli Thomson. History From Below is the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed debut, 2008’s Ode to Sunshine, which Spin hailed in its four-out-of-five-star review, saying, “This rousing debut impresses mightily,” while Filter called it “pure joy” and Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal said, “I make no pretense of objectivity with Delta Spirit, I love these guys.”
“All we wanted to do is put the record together one song at a time,” says Delta Spirit’s singer/guitarist Matthew Vasquez about History From Below. “It’s been three years of straight touring off our last record so most of the songs were written in hotel rooms and tested in front of an audience. We spent six months of this last year making a record that sums up three years of growing up.”
History From Below brims with incredibly deep and moving songs that are alternately grand and explosive, rock and rustic, always eloquent and melodic. It has a powerful energy that radiates musically, lyrically and vocally from the moment you hit play as it finally captures the uncontainable spirit the band exudes on stage.
“All we wanted to do is put the record together one song at a time,” says Delta Spirit’s singer/guitarist Matthew Vasquez about History From Below. “It’s been three years of straight touring off our last record so most of the songs were written in hotel rooms and tested in front of an audience. We spent six months of this last year making a record that sums up three years of growing up.”
History From Below brims with incredibly deep and moving songs that are alternately grand and explosive, rock and rustic, always eloquent and melodic. It has a powerful energy that radiates musically, lyrically and vocally from the moment you hit play as it finally captures the uncontainable spirit the band exudes on stage.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Contains my favorite lyric of the year in '911' which i think neatly sums up the post twin towers patriot act travesty;
"Turn a moral man into a marine."
Very immediate but no less brilliant is 'Bushwick Blues' which sits at the top of my most played tracks in itunes.
Their first album is even better in my opinion.
Saw them live last week in a 100 capacity venue a week before they were on Jools Holland. Hope they make it a bit bigger and sell some more records, they really deserve some acclaim from the wider world. If you can catch them GO! the live sound is quite a lot harder and rockier than on CD and Matt Vasquez's voice is amazing.
"Turn a moral man into a marine."
Very immediate but no less brilliant is 'Bushwick Blues' which sits at the top of my most played tracks in itunes.
Their first album is even better in my opinion.
Saw them live last week in a 100 capacity venue a week before they were on Jools Holland. Hope they make it a bit bigger and sell some more records, they really deserve some acclaim from the wider world. If you can catch them GO! the live sound is quite a lot harder and rockier than on CD and Matt Vasquez's voice is amazing.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Hard to pigeon-hole: a bit indie, a bit twangy... a bit of everything really. But it works so well - catchy tunes, amazing melodies, brilliant lyrics. Hopefully this will be their breakthrough - they deserve it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Thankyou, thankyou thankyou Jools Holland for having Delta Spirit on your show. Every so often a gem appears on the music scene. Delta Spirit fit that description. It's impossible to pick out a weak track on History From Below - there isn't one! I bought the album on vinyl and I am so pleased that there is also a free download supplied as I have played it so much that I run the risk of wearing the vinyl out. I am eager to find out what their earlier stuff is about
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Superb
I am not normally moved to write reviews but wanted to share this around. Agree with much of what others have written. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Star Dreamer
best album of 2010
Great to have boys like this around these days who write and sing what they want and not what they think others want. Read more
Published 12 months ago by JrF
2nd album syndrome...............ha!
for every group has allegedly has "SAS", try listening to this, an amazing follow up to what i think is a very underrated debut album................... Read more
Published 15 months ago by deeteepee
New Fan!
Recently introduced to Delta Spirit via Later with Jools Holland BBC.... Im not usually a fan of rock/Indie (whatever genre this falls into), but I really really love this album! Read more
Published 20 months ago by Lemonpuff
This is good......very good.
I have (as they say) not stopped playing Delta Spirits "History From Below" since I bought it last week.
The album is a real treat and a mix of truly incredible tunes. Read more
The album is a real treat and a mix of truly incredible tunes. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Andy
One of the albums of 2010
Delta Spirit have not only managed to overcome second album syndrome, but have managed to surpass their impressive debut record 'Ode To Sunshine'. Read more
Published 20 months ago by HMSfable
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