One perk of being a music journalist is you discover all the good music before the record hits the stands. When I received the sophomore release from Boston based rockers The Sheila Divine I was not sure what to expect, but forty minutes later I fell for the band hook, line, and riff. Where Have All My Countrymen Gone from first to last note has nice, clean rock sheen. The band’s frontman Aaron Perrino has an Elvis Costello swagger with lyrics reflecting his pure emotion, which easily translate into the music.
Currently, “Countrymen” is exploding in the college radio market giving the band some early exposure before they head out on tour. Perrino supplies the title of the record with the opening line of “Countrymen”. I instantly got attached to the track because of the big open guitar sound, and the amalgamation of Perrino’s voice reminded me of other established singers from Costello to Morrisey to even Jeff Tweedy. Whether Perrino is singing the high registers of “Countrymen” or belting out aggression on “Walking Dead”, you can tell the frontman was blessed with a gift.
The most impressive dimension of The Sheila Divine’s sound is that their tight, straight-ahead rock drives across so naturally. There are no flashy solos or complex compositions, just great rock melodies mixed with a solid drum work. Drummer Shawn Sears does an awesome job of sitting in the pocket to create the groove and tempo of the edgy “Ostrich” and punchy “Sideways”.
Where Have All My Countrymen Gone is written so well lyrically that bits and pieces will get permanently embedded in your brain. I often find myself humming the chorus to “Countrymen” or singing “Antidote” on the morning commute. Add this one to your list of things to get.
+sarzyniak
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