Review: The Cave Singers, Naomi

Yet another band I'd never heard of but have come to love, The Cave Singers released their fourth album last week. What's funny is I've found a few hardcore albums that came out this past week as well, and this gem just quietly released. Sometimes you find the best music while banging your head to great metal. The Cave Singers are definitely not metal, but their simplistic sound is enough to stay in my player for years to come.

My first impression of The Cave Singers' new album Naomi was to compare their lead singer to Bob Dylan. There are some definite Dylan-esque tracks on this record (try "Easy Way" for instance), and the band definitely makes a statement. "It's A Crime" features some raw guitar and a soulful performance from Pete Quirk, and easily fits in as the climax to an overall laid-back outing. Where the album really shines is early on, with tracks like the opener "Canopy", a guitar-lick driven, pure jam style tune, and "Have to Pretend" which takes a page from something off a Foster The People record.

The Cave Singers are on Bon Iver's record label, Jagjagawar.

One of my favorite records in the last two years was The Horrible Crowes, a side project from a couple of members of The Gaslight Anthem. The Cave Singers matches a folk-inspired rock sound like that. A perfect soundtrack for dusk, that drive home after a long day. "Shine" has some brilliant guitar work that leads right into a surprise harmonica during the bridge. The sound knows where it's from, it just isn't content with staying there. It wants to move into something more, just like The Cave Singers accomplish on this album. It's not clearly defined what this album quite sounds like, and all the more better for it.

Where some reviewers might think The Cave Singers aren't trying hard enough here, I think the band is right where they need to be. There's been a lot of focus on experimentation and pushing further in the past couple of years. Not enough attention has been spent on bands that do what they do, and do it well. The Cave Singers make for a great, simple rock band without too much flash or pop. A song like "No Tomorrows" can get stuck in your head just as easily as "Thrift Shop", but it's not necessarily going to rise up to the top of the charts. In some ways, that's okay. The Cave Singers prove they can jam and play indie rock just as well as their many, many counterparts. And maybe they're content with flying under the radar. I'm glad I found them, either way.