5 2012 Albums by Maine Artists you should own:
Sandbag; Sloppy Jays (read our album review here!)
Line of Force; Symbiotic
Running Gags; Yeah, No
Ill By Instinct; Second Wind
Restless Groove; Self-Title EP
Line of Force’s new album Symbiotic is a celebration of life, pure and simple. The main reason you should own this album is for the good feelings it will bring minus the fluff and poppy sounds so typical of the “feel good genre”. Symbiotic really brings a level of positivity, thankfulness, and awareness that left me feeling uplifted. This album is loaded with instrumentality that evokes good feelings and good times. Yet it is not simplistic or overly lighthearted; the music has a definitive mature, serious sound that balances the positivity that is inherent in Line of Force’s style. Although this group is not one that cycles through extended, face melting solos; still I found myself shaking my head at various points throughout the album at the level and quality of musicianship. Placing this group in a genre is difficult; there are jamband, soul, funk, blues and jazz influences spread throughout. One of my favorite aspects is the clear Tom Waits influence to the vocal style; especially noticeable in Track 6; Us Against Them.
It is hard to isolate what separates Line of Force from other bands I have heard. Certain riffs and tracks definitely remind me of your average festival band; the upbeat tempo and light hearted guitar contribute a lot to that association. However, I think the intelligent lyrics, instrumental skill, elevated horn/sax and the tendency throughout for multiple simultaneous and back up vocalists give the album a spiritual cast that conveys a lot of forethought and craftsmanship. Themes of gratitude, love, and coming together strongly support my initial impressions. Take the song Just Be; the song is simultaneously high energy, uplifted, and rough at the edges (in a good way… its in the lead vocals).
I have to take a second and share the band’s description from their facebook page, it really helps capture what I am trying to share with you:
“We were born of the notion that much of what you hear on the radio is utter crap, distracting you from the notion that you are composed of radiant beams of light and the creators of untold alternate realities. We have come to listen and unfold new and better realities with you…”
This is exactly what Line of Force is; they convey their passion for the true potential in each one of us through their music as clear as if they were yelling it at you. Instead, they turn it into sweet, sweet music and communicate directly to your soul.
The album starts very upbeat, but gradually gets more serious and slightly heavier (in theme) the deeper you get in; peaking with Us Against Them, the most Tom Waits influenced of all the tracks in vocals and tempo. The final four songs are quite a bit slower, yet the decrease in tempo and the prettiness of these songs really works for the album as a well developed composition. My only complaint about Symbiotic is the final song (All My Life); it leaves the listener with a slight sense of discord and lack of balance, a feeling that seems out of place compared to the rest of the album despite the song’s relative strength as an individual composition. However, Symbiotic is a fantastic album that will really appeal to individuals who normally may not get into that jam-soul style.
Buy Symbiotic from Bull Moose Music here or at your nearest store!! Keep your eye out for our next review of a Maine made album you should own; Yeah, No from the Running Gags!
Symbiotic Track Listing
Come On: Strong jamband and funk influences, this song is a perfect intro song. Come On is very fun and uplifting.
Troopin’: Similar to Come On in overall feel, but more intricate and featuring some extra elevated musicianship.
Gratitude: One of my favorites; fantastic saxophone and backup vocals really make this song stand out. The theme of thankfulness and inner strength is very compelling.
Just Be: Featuring some higher energy rock and funk influences, this song is very high energy and also polished.
Jefferson’s Blues: As the name implies, this track is a bit bluesy and features some great gruff vocals and fantastic brass.
Us Against Them: My top favorite for its obvious Tom Waits influence, but still keeping in with that unique Line of Force style. Additionally, the subject matter is really interesting (see below)
Ostrich: A really gorgeous song about “pulling my head out of the sand”; strong themes of maturing and overcoming personal struggles.
The Key: A slow tempo, pretty song discussing unity and oneness.
Symbiotic: This song starts off slow, but builds in intensity and is a strong title track. I feel as if this would have made a good final song.
All My Life: A very slow track, not my favorite, but still a strong composition.
Us Against Them lyrics:
I’m not too broken up no more
bout guns or drugs or games
or the man’s tired old and feeble lies
bout from where and from whence they came
I can see right through the blares and glares
of a media long lost in the static in the air
and I don’t want none of the circling cycle
repeating the same verse again
yet I write and I blather and sit on my ass
until the sword is mightier than the pen
i’m more interested in retribution a grand redistribution
of the billions of stolen moments of lovers that have
gone to the angry maw of the machine
I’m more interested in the sanctity of a kiss
I’m not too broken up about all the broken families
who’ve been bloodied for generations
by a perpetually funded and preconceived notion
that it’s a pertinent game of ‘us against them’
and even now I’m on the hunt for the next stolen moment
from the work/tax/kill situation
in a superfluous attempt to escape the onslaught
of information over time and exponential increases in ‘us against them’
i will sit by my window and listen
listen
listen
to the cycle the circle the undivide
the beginning the middle the ride
i’m not too tired to respect
what is given and taken away
or to forgive the man and his lies
for breaking the family and robbing the grave
i’m done with the mediocrity of the mediocracy
that celebrates the divine in the cheap
I’m done with it eating me up from behind
as my protest becomes the method of enslavement
and I’m done bustin my hump just to finance the pump
and bigger and shittier pavement
I’m more interested in gardens and grapes and joy
not yet gone to the angry maw of the machine
I’m more interested in the sanctity of forgiveness
I’m more into devising an inaction uprising
that chooses not to participate in the game
to take down the notion of mindless devotion
to a ’cause’ that is ‘us against them’
right now let us prowl look around you now
and find somebody to love
in a last ditch attempt to forget our bodies exist
and eradicate ‘us against them’
-Heather
The Way Live Should Be 