When The Heavy won a ‘Best Discovery’ award at SXSW last year, their combinations of various older American rock stylings, from blues & funk to garage & classic rock, together with an electric live show (QRO live review), was a refreshing change. On their sophomore release, The House That Dirt Built, the British band widens their influences even further. While this keeps any one track from hitting serious heights, it makes for an interesting and enjoyable album.
While the styles are many on The House, they all trace their roots back to the dirty, soulful rock born from the African-American experience in the long-ago twentieth century. There’s the party-garage-drive of “Oh No! Not You Again!”, and the old-timey big blues of “Sixteen” (reminiscent of classic “I Put a Spell On You”). Things get a little more modern with the funk of “How You Like Me Now?”, but even the heavy guitars of “No Time” or “What You Want Me To Do” are still more ‘classic’ rock. However, The Heavy don’t have to out-and-out rock: “Long Way From Home” has soul-like carry, while the following “Cause For Alarm” possesses reggae rhythms.
What’s your favorite track on The House That Dirt Built obviously depends on which of the many styles that The Heavy draw from that’s your favorite. And being a Jack-of-all-trades, musically, does hinder them from developing seriously into a master of any one. But if you want something that’s both original & familiar, not to mention fun, hit up The Heavy.
MP3 Stream: “How You Like Me Now?”
