Cardinal Harbor – The Cold Season

By Ryan G

coldseason

One of the surprise standout releases of 2013, Faces on Parade from Cardinal Harbor, has been quickly outdone by its successor The Cold Season.

If you are new to the band let me reiterate the band’s similarity to groups like Dave Matthews Band and OAR. Don’t dismiss the collective as a knockoff band or you’ll miss out on a true gem. It is undeniable that the band is rising in a time period where horn-driven rock groups with soul are making a comeback – just look at St Paul and the Broken Bones for example. They’ve seemingly risen out of nowhere in the past week. Groups such as SassafraZ, Forest and the Evergreens and Dan White Sextet are making names for themselves in the Tuned Up immediate geography constituency so I can confidently say that CH will find a home away from home around here, at least.

If feel good jams are the theme of Faces on Parade, diversity is the theme of The Cold Season. Where one record introduces the world unashamedly to the band, the other record is where the gloves come off. One only need listen to the album closer “Ruins” to get a full dose of everything the band has to offer. Emotional swells of piano, guitars and horns journey your mind’s eye and physical ears to a place where you feel anything but ruined. Opener “Bounty” contrasts the crunch of rhythm guitars with a simply tasty lick lingering just in the background. “The Watch” is your quintessential horn/bass driven groove-meister, and although it kinda feels familiar – that’s ok. With any record chock full of peaks, there are valleys – such is the case with this one. Fortunately, it’s the kind of valley you want – a subdued mood, not a “filler track.” The vocals of Spencer McCreary are well suited for both scenarios and seemingly possess a warmth that you enjoy just as much on the chill “Arrangements” and “Mirth” as does “The Watch.” “Mirth” has a piano arrangement that is mixed into the track as if it were out of a fantastical realm, and thats perfectly ok with me.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1406298426 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

You might be thinking, this guy is kissing the butts of the band to get his blog plugged with all of this praise. Trust me though – we don’t give out blind praise. If you read the blog long enough you’ll find examples.

The Cold Season takes your expectations of what  Dave Matthews influenced band would sound like and introduces elements you didn’t even know would fit. Listen for yourself!

Score: 4.5/5

Cardinal Harbor: Facebook page | Get the album from Noisetrade

 

Check out these related articles:

The Dandy Warhols – Rockmaker

The Dandy Warhols – Rockmaker

It's always an adventure when you dive into a band for the first time that you've been peripherally aware of for years but have never given a fair...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *