- Release Date: 14 February 2010
- Label: Deep Elm Records/Good Friends Records
- Producer: Ryan Malott & Erwin Musper
- Ryan Malott – vocals, guitar
- Noah Sugarman – guitar, vocals
- David Rhodes Brown – lap steel
- Elaina Brown – keyboards, vocals, tuba
- Jeff Snyder – bass
- Kevin Hogle – drums, percussion
[voto: 3.5]
Ryan Malott must be the fruit born from the relationship between the most irriverent country singer-songwriter and the most cheeky punk singer, Mr. Johnny Cash and Fat Mike from NOFX. I cannot explain in any other way the origin of this talented guy, who is able to fuse effortlessly two genre of music so different like country and punk.
But the recipe of this band with such bastard beat is more elaborate, basically one might find many disparate kind of influences: from funky to power pop, from brit-pop to mariachi music.
Ryan is the singer and the only songwriter, moreover he also attended production with Dutch Erwin Musper (somebody may remember him working with Zinatra, Scorpions, Paul Laine and Def Leppard); the two made a lofty job, they have been able to give the fairest emphasis both to rock instruments and typical country instruments like lap steel and fiddle, so that none of them would have prevailed to the other.
Many are the tracks to be pointed out: "It's Alright" begins like if it was a NOFX song, then becomes a melancholic country melody and comes back again with hardcore breaks. The country & western & punk "Six Foot Hole" has a chorus that might be stolen from a recent Green Day song, while the irresistible funky rock "By Accident" could be welcomed by Big & Rich fans.
The rock'n'roll "Barfly" tells us stories of alcohol and drugs but you cannot resist to its easy-going melody; with "Shots" there is another furious hardcore riff, it is the background sound for a desperate quest for a liquor shop. "Lead Me On", oddly for the band, is a classic country ballad with no other particular influence. The long and epic "Everybody Needs An Enemy" alternates slow passages to uptempo beats until it brings us to the instrumental grand finale with the six guys from Cincinnati playing like a harder version of Coldplay.
500 Miles To Memphis, so called because 500 are the miles between Memphis and their hometown in Ohio, are entertaining; they have the power to make your day cheerful even if they tell you stories about alcohol, drugs and a few other crimes (well, their lyrics are not that easy).
Maybe they are not for everyone, but who is a little bit more open-minded must not be frightened by sounds that seem to be unrelated; just give a chance to this country punk gang.
Tracklist We've Built Up To NOTHING
- 01. … 0:36
- 02. It's Alright 4:21
- 03. Let It Go 4:00
- 04. Six Foot Hole 2:50
- 05. Barfly 3:31
- 06. By Accident 3:01
- 07. East Texas Angel 3:31
- 08. Moonlight 4:49
- 09. No Sympathy 3:35
- 10. You Loved Me Once 4:24
- 11. Dejas 1:44
- 12. Shots 3:00
- 13. Lead Me On 4:07
- 14. Everybody Needs An Enemy 9:18
- 15. We've Built Up To NOTHING 2:48
500 Miles To Memphis Discography
- 500 Miles To Memphis (2005 3rd Silo Records)
- Sunshine In A Shot Glass (2007 Deep Elm Records)
- We've Built Up To NOTHING (2010 Deep Elm Records/Good Friends Records)
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