Starve the Listener - Rhythm & Rhyme

​Starve the Listener

Rhythm & Rhyme ​
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By Corrine Cassels
​

Starve The Listener is a three-piece band based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. They play local gigs in the area and have consistent radio airplay on local stations. They claim to take an old school rock n’ roll approach to their music with their first release Rhythm and Rhyme.

The EP features five songs and overall has a ska like feel with rock guitar mixed with funky melodies and horns. There’s a nice amount of harmonies and background vocals that give the album a unique vibe.

The EP starts off with “Someone Else” which introduces us to Starve The Listener’s instrumental talent. I really appreciated the strong rock guitar mixed with the smooth bass lines. It's a slick mix of blues and rock and the horns sounded exceptional in the mix. The cool arrangement of background vocals and harmonies really made me look forward to the rest of the songs. 

The title song “Rhythm and Rhyme” had more of an old school ’60s rock n’ roll sound. The doo wop style background vocals went really well with the Jack White-esque guitar solos. There was  a lot of energy in the song that was hard to ignore.

“When You’re With Me” and “If You Stay” slowed things down but maintained the vibe with really nice arrangements and some pretty stellar jazz horns. I really dug the repetitive chorus of “If You Stay” which probably made it my favorite song of the album.

The album ended with “If You Leave Me” which matched the first few songs old school rock n’ roll sound.

Overall, I found this EP original and catchy. The arrangement and production quality made me overlook the somewhat muffled and sometimes slightly off-key sound of the main vocals. I think this band has a lot of potential for a sound that seems to be lacking nowadays. I look forward to future work. Recommended

iTunes

reverbnation

Tweet