Kid Tiger — Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes: Album Review
Reviewed by Adrienne Beckham
Monday mornings have never been my friend, but looking out my window and seeing nothing but snow blurring the view of the street makes monday and I mortal enemies. Monday put up quite a fight seeing as I had to drag myself through the 20 degree winter night back to my room after a day of classes and work, but I had one war ending solace to retreat to. Once I finally escaped the wind, I went straight to my music library to find the perfect record, laden with vocals that fill your ears and surround you like a warm summer’s beating sun. Lucky for me, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes have crafted their second album, Kid Tiger, which is available for download today and is just what I need to fend off these wintery Monday slumps.
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The twelve tracks that make up this Nashville indie rock outfit were practically made for the lazy days of summer that much of the country is desperately awaiting. Sustained guitar riffs and rolling drum beats run through the album so steadily that there is no fighting the transportive effect it generates. Especially on tracks like “Waves,” which lives up to itsname by using drummer Joel Wren’s skill behind the kit in tandem with lead singer Daniel Ellsworth’s sighing vocals to musically represent the calming atmosphere that exists in all of my memories of days wasted on hot California sands. On every track, Ellsworth’s sly and careful vocals backed by moments of soulful chorus harmonies intertwine with the full
piano and guitar driven soundscape for a throwback feeling, reminiscent of the bluesy rock influences present in the discography of indie rockers, Cold War Kids. Yet, Ellsworth and company incorporate a lighter and more relaxed quality to their music. In combination with diverse genre influences that span from folk to indie pop, Kid Tiger defines a truly unique sound for Ellsworth & The Great Lakes. The album’s third track, “Phantoms,” exemplifies this perfectly. Maintaining the core of the indie rock Ellsworth & The Great Lakes sound, “Phantoms” begins with a touch of psychedelic rock before it continues by amping up the soul elements with sassy and lingering vocals from Ellsworth and background choir on top of a slick rhythm from Wren and bassist Marshall Skinner. All of those elements blended together makes ”Phantoms” my favorite track on Kid Tiger, delightfully dizzying me with a brilliantly fresh orchestration.
From the opening piano melody on intro track “Waves” to the last drum beat of end track “Backfire!,” Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes’s latest release is undeniably infectious, coaxing me into laying back with a happily content smile plastered on my face despite the blanket of snow on the ground and biting cold air on the other side outside my window. As I sit on my bed listening to Kid Tiger for the third time tonight, I think it is safe to say: score 1 for me, and score 0 for winter and Mondays.
