Hoist The Colors "Miles to Go Before We Sleep" Hardline Entertainment
Release date: October 30, 2012
Running time: 51:00, 14 tracks
Hoist the Colors, the seven-piece Irish- and Americana-influenced punk band from El Segundo has just released their second album, “Miles to Go Before We Sleep”. Their previous effort, “Second City”, was no. 6 at Paddyrock’s best of 2011 list and it reached no. 11 at the list that was voted by our fans. But a lot of changes have occurred between their debut album and the sophomore release.
First of all, several line-up changes. Josh Linden (vocals & mandolin), Ryan Sharp (banjo) and Iván de la Torre (drums) are still in the band, and Sina Etesami has shifted from electric guitar to acoustic guitar. The new musicians are Camilo Barahona (fiddle), Fabián De la Torre (bass) and Jeff Murphy (electric guitar).
Secondly, all the lyrics on “Second City” were written by Josh Linden. However, three tracks on “Miles to Go Before We Sleep” have been written by Jeff Murphy: “Atwood”, “Signs & Symbols” and "California".
Finally, the band has signed with Hardline Entertainment (the debut album was a self-released disc) and it has been produced by Ken Seaton and mixed by Darian Rundall. Yes, the same guy that produced Pipes and Pints “Found & Lost”.
So, after this long introduction, let’s talk about the album. The The Men They Couldn’t Hang meets NOFX band has recorded a top-notch album. No duets this time, but a bunch of honest songs full of So Cal punk and country influences together with a great Celtic punk instrumentation. “Second City” was an excellent album, but sometimes one felt that some of the songs needed something, maybe a tin whistle or an accordion. This is not the case, because the fiddle and the electric guitar get a more important role on their second album.
Once again, there are no covers. I really appreciate the bands that trust in their own songwriting and normally this pays. The running time is 51 minutes, longer than usual. Anyway, this really works, since I find that only 3 songs don’t “meet my requirements”. In other words, 11 out of 14 numbers are great.
Regarding the band’s iconography, that is, the artwork, Hoist the Colors keep on using “traditional” XIX century Californian themes. A black and white pic of a train running. Besides, two of the songs mention the word train, “Gordie Lavoie” and “Sign and Symbols”. The 8 page booklet contains all the lyrics, credits and thank yous.
OK, the best songs: “Silence & Loss”, with great vocal harmonies and a wonderful chorus: “Let’s take the world tonight/Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright”; “Shackless & Chains”, another catchy song with some gang vocals à la Dropkick Murphys; “California”, probably the most “punk” song on the album, and “Gold”, a number on which a different kind of fiddling can be heard. Yes, I know that I have said that 11 songs are great. Now it’s your turn, buy the album and discover all the amazing songs on this CD.
The eternal question: which is better, “Ramones” or “Leave Home”. I’m not sure but I know that “Miles Before We Go To Sleep” is better than “Second City”. Given that Hoist the Colors are a prolific band, I feel that their third album will be their master piece. In fact, a lot of people say that “Rocket to Russia” is better than “Ramones” and “Leave Home”, don’t they?
Tracklist:
01. Dance Through The Days 3:24
02. Gordie Lachance 3:24
03. The Curse Of Blackbeard Lavoie 3:52
04. Atwood 4:40
05. Shackles And Chains 2:56
06. Signs And Symbols 3:21
07. Gold 4:18
08. Silence And Loss 3:58
09. Sail On Sweet Soul 2:43
10. The Line On The Map 3:14
11. California 3:11
12. Deuces Wild 3:55
13. Simple Promise 3:02
14. KCT 4:38
http://hoistthecolors.com
http://www.facebook.com/Hoistthecolors.music
http://hoistthecolors.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/HoistThe_Colors
Click to buy:
http://hardlineent.com/store/
Review by Kinksmarkham
Release date: October 30, 2012
Running time: 51:00, 14 tracks
Hoist the Colors, the seven-piece Irish- and Americana-influenced punk band from El Segundo has just released their second album, “Miles to Go Before We Sleep”. Their previous effort, “Second City”, was no. 6 at Paddyrock’s best of 2011 list and it reached no. 11 at the list that was voted by our fans. But a lot of changes have occurred between their debut album and the sophomore release.
First of all, several line-up changes. Josh Linden (vocals & mandolin), Ryan Sharp (banjo) and Iván de la Torre (drums) are still in the band, and Sina Etesami has shifted from electric guitar to acoustic guitar. The new musicians are Camilo Barahona (fiddle), Fabián De la Torre (bass) and Jeff Murphy (electric guitar).
Secondly, all the lyrics on “Second City” were written by Josh Linden. However, three tracks on “Miles to Go Before We Sleep” have been written by Jeff Murphy: “Atwood”, “Signs & Symbols” and "California".
Finally, the band has signed with Hardline Entertainment (the debut album was a self-released disc) and it has been produced by Ken Seaton and mixed by Darian Rundall. Yes, the same guy that produced Pipes and Pints “Found & Lost”.
So, after this long introduction, let’s talk about the album. The The Men They Couldn’t Hang meets NOFX band has recorded a top-notch album. No duets this time, but a bunch of honest songs full of So Cal punk and country influences together with a great Celtic punk instrumentation. “Second City” was an excellent album, but sometimes one felt that some of the songs needed something, maybe a tin whistle or an accordion. This is not the case, because the fiddle and the electric guitar get a more important role on their second album.
Once again, there are no covers. I really appreciate the bands that trust in their own songwriting and normally this pays. The running time is 51 minutes, longer than usual. Anyway, this really works, since I find that only 3 songs don’t “meet my requirements”. In other words, 11 out of 14 numbers are great.
Regarding the band’s iconography, that is, the artwork, Hoist the Colors keep on using “traditional” XIX century Californian themes. A black and white pic of a train running. Besides, two of the songs mention the word train, “Gordie Lavoie” and “Sign and Symbols”. The 8 page booklet contains all the lyrics, credits and thank yous.
OK, the best songs: “Silence & Loss”, with great vocal harmonies and a wonderful chorus: “Let’s take the world tonight/Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright”; “Shackless & Chains”, another catchy song with some gang vocals à la Dropkick Murphys; “California”, probably the most “punk” song on the album, and “Gold”, a number on which a different kind of fiddling can be heard. Yes, I know that I have said that 11 songs are great. Now it’s your turn, buy the album and discover all the amazing songs on this CD.
The eternal question: which is better, “Ramones” or “Leave Home”. I’m not sure but I know that “Miles Before We Go To Sleep” is better than “Second City”. Given that Hoist the Colors are a prolific band, I feel that their third album will be their master piece. In fact, a lot of people say that “Rocket to Russia” is better than “Ramones” and “Leave Home”, don’t they?
Tracklist:
01. Dance Through The Days 3:24
02. Gordie Lachance 3:24
03. The Curse Of Blackbeard Lavoie 3:52
04. Atwood 4:40
05. Shackles And Chains 2:56
06. Signs And Symbols 3:21
07. Gold 4:18
08. Silence And Loss 3:58
09. Sail On Sweet Soul 2:43
10. The Line On The Map 3:14
11. California 3:11
12. Deuces Wild 3:55
13. Simple Promise 3:02
14. KCT 4:38
http://hoistthecolors.com
http://www.facebook.com/Hoistthecolors.music
http://hoistthecolors.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/HoistThe_Colors
Click to buy:
http://hardlineent.com/store/
Review by Kinksmarkham
Thanks a ton! I have been wondering if hoist the colors was good or not. It seems like I am a sucker for little known bands. Thanks again for the review!
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