Half Notes: Animal Liberation Orchestra – Man of The World (2010)

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S. Victor Aaron

I haven’t heard this band prior to this album, but was curious about them after reading they were some sort of a jam band, like Phish, Dave Matthews or Humphrey’s McGee. Man of The World doesn’t really conjure up memories of those bands at all except to some degree “Suspended,” the seven minute plus lead-off track, but they do often sound dead-on like Wilco and maybe a little bit like Ben Folds. ALO’s songs carry strong and memorable melodies, and accomplish that without having to lay it on thick. There’s a quiet confidence in this band in how they play songs without fussing too much over the production but still mind the details. This might be pegged mainstream pop/rock, but it’s the way mainstream pop-rock should be and yet rarely is.

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