Describing someone's music as a combination of two or more different things is a bit of a music world trope.
"Check out this new band, they sound like Aretha Franklin fronting The Pixies singing classic country."
What seems like a too good to be true combination often is, sounding nothing like any of the references and not nearly interesting enough to be called anything other than one standard genre (take note, critics and promoters).
On the other hand, when it's done well, it can inspire creativity and lead an established artist into new areas when they make additions to their sound. That is the case for JD McPherson's new album Nite Owls, which sees the Nashville-based singer adding a variety of influences to his trademark retro '50s sound.
According to McPherson, “The initial idea for the record was: It’s like if the late-60s Ventures were the session band on the first New Order record.”
The best example of this is on the standout track "Just Like Summer." The intro, bassline and atmosphere of the song are straight out of the early '80s. The lead guitar shows how much the guitar of this time was inspired by surf rock, with healthy amounts of chorus and delay added to the reverb.
When ideas like this are successful, it's because the music can find the through lines that connect different eras and styles.
On the title track, McPherson is clearly inspired by the dramatic vocals of David Bowie, singing,
"come on and fly with the nite owls, honey
like a beautiful, lonely satellite
you only dance with the lights out, honey
making believe that you can see in the dark."
When the keyboard joins in after the chorus, the song briefly turns into a new wave glam-rock western soundtrack (I take back what I said earlier, this is fun).
In 2015, McPherson produced The Cactus Blossom's album, You're Dreaming. For Nite Owls, the Minnesota duo helped co-write the album opener "Sunshine Getaway." It's a classic middle-American (McPherson is from Oklahoma) plea for a vacation, over a strutting rock 'n' roll groove.
By finding the common threads that link different eras of music and adding that to his already-known skill for recreating retro sounds, Nite Owls is a fresh and exciting direction for JD McPherson.
Must listens
- "Sunshine Getaway"
- "I Can't Go Anywhere With You"
- "Just Like Summer"
- "Nite Owls"
- "The Rock and Roll Girls"
- "Baby Blues"