the tentacles - vulture

The Tentacles

Vulture
self-released; 2014

3.7 out of 5

By Eva Cantillo

The Tentacles is a Brooklyn-based band that is giving its audiences a fresh take on folk rock music. The members make up a creative collective with their hands in other art forms like painting, film and writing and they hail from places like Iowa, Colorado and New Jersey and this shows in the style and sound of the music that make up their latest album Vulture.

The lyrics in “King of Oklahoma” say “There ain’t no king in Oklahoma City.” This song makes me visualize a dusky sunset in Oklahoma in the deep west and the characters of the story are clad in cowboy boots and rolling around in big pick-up trucks. The Tentacles definitely represent a modern take on the southern folk rock and infuse these values into their songs. There is a simplicity to the sound of the track and it is very mellow sounding and quite relaxing to listen to.

The second track on the album “San Francisco” utilizes some sample songs from a beach, which I find quite ironic. “San Francisco” seems to be a deviation from their southern norm. This song tells a story about a lover who the protagonist just doesn’t want to let go, and he envisions them walking about along “the Frisco bay.” There is a jazzy piano riff toward the middle of the song that really emulates the experience of a lusty and somewhat sad love unraveling right next to the open sea. “Didn’t mean to treat her so bad, she was the best darn girl I ever had.” Continuing along, the track “Satans On The Run” has a fun rockabilly style to it. The song makes me want to dive in a do some bad stuff alongside Satan, who is apparently on the run. The constantly strumming banjo gives the song a fun yet sneaky persona,  “shake that tambourine and bang that gun.”

The Tentacles seems to build interesting songs that create specific sentiments through their usage of instruments, style of vocals and storytelling lyrics. It is a well-recorded album that anyone into folk music will thoroughly enjoy.