The Human Condition - The Human Condition

The Human Condition

The Human Condition
self-released; 2015

4.0 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The Human Condition is a fun band- hot dawg! The five fellas consisting of Mark Joseph (vocals/guitar), Dan Brennan (vocals/mandolin), Gabriel Shevener (vocals/guitar), Nate Harris (vocals/upright bass) and Wally Ricker (vocals,dobro, banjo) make acoustic music that mixes in bluegrass, country, folk and traditional music. 

The acoustic instruments are warm and playful sounding. There is a carefree spirit within these songs that is undeniable and I’d think it’s most welcome to anyone who wants to feel good once in awhile. I will say the music on their self-titled album Human Condition is great but the singing is truly exceptional. The lead singer switches on a couple of tracks but I learned to enjoy the variety of it rather fast. It won’t take you any time to get used to the vocal harmonies, which is what made the band really stick out to me.

Things get going on The Human Condition with “From A Suburb To A City.” Between the banjo and mandolin playing I thoroughly enjoyed myself listening to this delightful song. Even without the splendid vocal harmonies and impressive lead I would have given it two thumbs up. The band doesn’t let the song go on too long and three minutes was about the perfect length for this tune.

“I Can't Wait (To Leave You In The Morning)” may be the happiest song ever about leaving your significant other. The song could be about selling babies on the black market and I still would have had a smile on my face. It’s an optimistic song that makes you feel like you have no worries in the world. 

The band continues to slay the dragon with wonderfully crafted songs such as “Lazy Boy Blues.”  “Lazy Boy Blues” is the type of song that will make you jump on one foot while slapping the crap out of your knee on your other leg. Well that's at least what I ended up doing about halfway through.

“The Wind Out Here” contains a smooth vocal performance while closer “Sometime To Come” has a slight hint of melancholy but also switches to what sounds like a fast paced waltz. “Sometime To Come” get into some experimental territory as well. Good stuff.

All things considered this album is pretty fantastic. It’s a treat to listen to from beginning to end so do yourself a favor and do that.

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