Sedentary Nomads is the debut album by No More Winters. Tim sings and plays guitars and bass; Klovis sings and handles drums, percussion and keyboards. They had some help from Jon Amor and Zoe Mule-Orsal on backing vocals, and Leonard Mule on vocals, bass and additional guitars and keys. The group first began life as an acoustic guitar duo, but the boys couldn’t resist the lure of amplification. The result is a collection of thick, heavy blues rock tunes with some pop and folk for good measure.
The boys describe Sedentary Nomads as “a kind of postcard collection, a snapshot of the band's journey so far. The songs are for the most part based on personal stories, experiences and feelings, and were written at different life moments: in a basement home studio long before imagining they would one day be performed live; in the middle of nature during bicycle travels; and in a one-room apartment… It's self-produced, and we poured lots of love and sweat into it.” As far as recording, No More Winters considered laying down the songs close to how they play them live, but decided to create the full band sound they had in their heads. Tracking took place over a few hectic days in Nantes, France at Le Batiskaf, Birdland and La Compagnie des Arts studios overseen by Leonard Mule. Mastering was by Jean-Sébastien Guibert at Phase Mastering. “Garage Princess” kicks right in with bluesy, slippery guitar lines, swampy organ and a thumpy clap-along beat. Tim’s vocals recall the lead singer of The Arctic Monkeys, both here and elsewhere. For the chorus, the guitars take on a harder rock edge and the vocals thicken up. Though this song appears to be about a hot young lady who’s afraid of commitment, I like to think that the “garage princess” is actually a dedicated fan of indie music who loves hanging out with garage rockers. “Can’t Feel The Rain” is classic boogie in the tradition of Canned Heat or “Spirit In The Sky.” We have fuzz guitars played with razor precision and a solid beat that’s again beefed up with handclaps. Tim caps off the fun with a chunky, harmonic guitar solo. “Send Me Down A Sign” is a slower Zeppelin-style blues tune; the riffs are maybe a bit familiar but the boys pull them off with style. “Oh Luisa” jumped right out for me, not only because my sister is named Louisa! It’s an upbeat singalong rocker with “Hit” written all over it: a tight two-and-a-half minutes with a quick, killer guitar solo. “Never Stop Trying” kicks the tempo into higher gear with lots of tasty, swampy slide guitar. No More Winters’ lyrics are far from poetic or profound, but they fit the beats perfectly and sing way better than they read. “I Didn’t Know” is a laid back rocker featuring lots of space for the guitars to dialogue with each other. Jon Amor helps with background vocals, though you barely hear him until the end. “What Could’ve Been” has a slow, portentous beat and an eerie low end drone for a classic tune about yearning and heartbreak. See if you can catch the sneaky Zep reference: “I miss your town, I miss your street / The dodgy corner shop where we used to meet / I miss the sun, I miss the heat / But all I can do is hang my head and weep / I miss, I miss, I miss / What could've been and never will be.” Speaking of Zeppelin, the song title “Hangman’s Creek” put me in mind of “Gallows Pole” and the music is also similar, featuring mostly acoustic guitar with electric and slide for emphasis. Thankfully, though, this is another love song and nobody’s in danger of swinging from the rope any time soon. “Ain’t So Bad” is a rollicking guitar workout with riffs that respond back and forth across the stereo field. “Wrong Train” is a heavy mountain-style rocker with some cool, almost subsonic synth runs toward the end. “Gotta Come Home” is a great title for the closing song and musically brings us full circle to the bluesy guitar style of the opening track. At the end of the day, my only real criticism would be that this band’s riffs are sometimes too classic, and might benefit from unexpected twists. But on it own terms, this is an excellent collection and a sign of great things to come.
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