Indie Music Album Reviews

The LAd CLassic - lightning

5/13/2013

The Lad Classic

Lightning
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Hailing from Toronto, The Lad Classic has been a rock quartet since 2010, delivering their own modern take on the classic rock sound they love, allowing the diverse backgrounds of each single musician to collide into something really personal, going for arrangements that strive to compromise high-level skills and sophisticated musicianship with an immediate approach that any listener could easily relate to and become instant fans. For Lightning, The Lad Classic set out to record a rock album acoustically and transferring their energy to the unplugged format. This release will be later joined by its counterpart, Thunder, which will revisit the same songs but on a fully electric setting - a really interesting concept.

The EP immediately strikes with "Cadillac Jack" and its really crisp acoustic guitar sound, and when the vocals kick in you get a really cool blues-meets-hard rock feel, with a great balance between the verse and the chorus, bridged by a really catchy and wide-open pre-chorus! "Hit Me" falls along the same lines, with an opening riff that really makes me look forward to hear the electric version as well! Not that this one does not kick enough, but this is the type of song that could really give 100% at full blast.

"Another One" and "London Bridge" add a more eclectic twist to EP, showcasing alternative rock influences (something in the vocals make me think a lot about bands like Incubus), while “Blow Out” is a fitting big ballad, just before closing time. Usually bands release their electric versions before the acoustic ones, so this was a really cool idea, and also a very brave one in the world of rock and roll - exposing your most naked side first requires a lot of confidence and skills…these guys clearly have both!