New music from California based trio, Strange Culprits, the self titled album is a humdinger. It begins with deep bass and drum grooves and a nice baritone vocal.
Lead vocalist Jason Buckingham, Samantha Buckingham on bass, and drummer, Tony Loftin give us nine tracks of a mix of bluesy rock sound that is sure to garner tons of new fans. While searching for members to complete his trio idea, founding member Buckingham happened upon multi-instrumentalist Sami, who would later become his wife. She had long hoped to learn to play bass and with her new position with the group Jason bought her a bass and made it happen. Not long afterward the third member of the group, Loftin, would join and there you have it folks, Strange Culprits.
“Moonlight” is the first track and it’s blues rock sound has a smooth rhythmic vibe everyone can enjoy. It features each performer and their talents in a way that brings them all together with a nice balance.
Buckingham writes songs that tell stories filled with truth not just about real events but those that could become reality. It’s rock music over the top with a splash of pop, soul, honky tonk and folk music seasoning it up just right.
“When You’re Away” follows in as the second track on this album and has a nice guitar intro with the drummer Tony Loftin holding down a solid beat on drums. It’s somewhat of a love song and the lyrics and instrumentation work very well together to bring you in to the story.
https://soundcloud.com/strangeculprits/sets/strange-culprits/s-FF3FY
If we had to place them in a genre, which I typically don’t like to do, I’d have to say they are a blend of rock, blues, folk, Americana and alternative rock with a twist on post-punk. But whatever category or genre we place them in they shake it all up with a ton of talent.
“Fleeting Moments” brings a hard hitting opening to life with a slow and steady rocking groove. It makes you want to sway and move with mesmerizing addictive movement. The entire vibe from this trio fills me with visions of Nirvana, the Cranberries and Alabama Shakes.
The recommended track for this album was “Concrete Rain” and I can see why. The piano and string arrangements are on target with this groups super talented application of just the right sounds and lyrical texture. It has a quality mix of almost a dirty/grunge guitar partnered with lyrical strings. The sound of a more progressive rock feel and flow is also present. It gives us a taste of more to come and what they truly have to offer. With this debut album we are only seeing and hearing the outer layer of superb qualities in the mix.
Over all I give it a great score for lyrics, vocals and instrumentation. Every song in the collection flows with ease, nothing is over complicated or too busy and the overall essence of the album demands full attention. The overall feel of the album is engaging and welcomes the listener in to their world showcasing each members talents.
Strange Culprits is an independent artist from Bay Area, California. This album was produced by Strange Culprits and released on June 8th, 2018 to many rave reviews. The group has been likened to artists such as The Record Company, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
For more information on this hot new trio you can visit the sites below and check out more of their music.
Note: All media and photos courtesy of Independent Music Promotions.
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