a mile rising - another love song

A Mile Rising

Another Love Song
self-released; 2014

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

On the official website for the band A Mile Rising it states that the band was raised on rock and schooled on radio. That’s a sentiment that holds up on their four-song EP entitled Another Love Song. The band fronted by Russ Kettle sounds like rock you would hear on the radio. Interestingly enough that “radio” sound might work as well now as it would in the previous couple of decades. The songs have a mainstream affinity and sound like a mixture of pop/rock acts from the mid ‘80s on. There are rock ballads, killer hooks and production values you would associate with songs you would hear on your local FM station. To point out the obvious this music will attract a large demographic but I don’t think hipsters who need a steady diet of Pitchfork approved bands will be gravitating towards the music on Another Love Song.

The first song on the EP entitled “Another Love Song” is a “single” worthy tune on the EP but feels a bit misplaced in terms of decade. There is a definite late ‘80s to early ‘90s pop/rock vibe here that falls somewhere between Richard Marx and Scorpions. Even the production yields the polish that top 40 rock bands contain when they weave in a solid guitar solo. 

The second track “Already Over” skips a couple of years and has more in common with a grunge band from the mid ‘90s. They combine distorted guitars with crashing drums and bass to bring an anthemic song. Some of Kettle’s most original lyrics come in the verse when he sings, “Let me go, I can’t bring you back from this loss / You’re hiding away in your porcelain kingdom / Don’t want to live cause all your values went the way of your cause / Flushed them away.”  

“You'll Never Know” veers away from a steady stream of distorted guitars. The band loses the distortion and introduces a cello during the verse, which adds some versatility to the band’s skill set. ”About Me” interestingly enough is the most contemporary sounding song out of the four. It’s hard to pinpoint why it sounds contemporary but it does.

A Mile Rising may not be making the most original music you have heard this year but if you yearn for palatable mainstream pop/rock then this is your ticket. 

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