Town

Elliott BROOD

One half of a pair of new releases, Town (the complement to Country) finds Elliott BROOD taking a country mouse/city mouse approach to their latest songs. This Toronto band has shifted and shucked genres and venues for more than 20 years, so if they want to release a double album, they’re more than justified. As such, Town is full of rollicking, rolling tunes—the kind the trio is now noted for playing, suitcase bass drum be damned. The album has eight songs total, and there are some—like the barn-burning opener “Rose City,” or the stomping kitchen-party shout-along of “Dried Up”—that do match up with the rowdiest night at the Palomino Club. But this is town music, so despite those flirts with big city dance halls, Elliott BROOD keeps the rest running down gravel roads. In the back half you get some delightful songs, with the indie riot of “Stars Align” and the gentle percussion of “Sinking Stone” demanding repeat listens. However, the foil of all double albums occurs early, where the back-to-back waltzes of “Paper Money” and “Evelyn” just aren’t as good. Pairing this release with Country, though, and you’ll be bound to find more than an album’s worth of good tunes.