A decade of kicking the stages has led the Bilbao combo to now release their most accurate work, after a demo and a well-remembered first album. The new songs flow energetically through the river of the precious and meticulous cover, watering lands that they already handled previously, with a good amount of blues, country-rock, soul and mostly with a certain flavor of the best The Allman Brothers Band. The name of this and other groups of southern fondness have been associated from the beginning, but what is heard out there is true, that this is the most Still River until now, the one that bears his fingerprints on every inch of the grooves. For this reason, although we continue to find references, each time they make them more their own.
“On a Velvet Cloud” starts softly and slowly, as if coming out of a long and restorative sleep, to double the rhythm halfway through the song and surrender to those stimulating instrumental passages that, guided by Juan Gumucio’s guitar riffs, they elevate our vision to the heights, on a par with those velvety clouds. The riff and funky wave rhythms of “Brothers & Sisters (Tension & Time)” transport us back through their particular road trip and the engaging groove of “Take a Little Sip” enchants with a base of Muscle Shoals-like soul. What strikes me the most about halftime “Go if You Want” is the natural way in which the instruments interact and intermingle, such as Alex Blasco on keyboards and Lander Cadenas on drums, the last two signings of the quintet, who have recently filled the positions of the Redondo brothers, Isra and Isi (the latter drummer for The Travellin’ Brothers).
The playfulness of “Heave-Ho” makes it an irresistible song, perhaps one of the best bar songs ever written. “My Love”, with its luminous melody and slightly exotic guitar arpeggio, once again takes us down the river through the picture on the cover in search of some peace and happiness. The design of the attractive cover is the work of Alex Torres and is powerfully reminiscent of the interior of the “Eat A Peach” folder by his/our beloved Allman Brothers, due to the number of situations that can be observed in the drawing and the psychedelic nature of the subject. . This time they have not used collaborations like on their previous album, nor have they gone to any studio to record it. They have simply recorded the songs in their rehearsal room, all playing at the same time and controlled by Asier Rentería and James Morgan, the latter taking care of the mixes in his Magic Box Musika de Munguía.
The discreet yet palpable bass sounds of Txema Solano and the robust voice of the American Dan Cabanela have also been key for these songs to get where they had to go. This is especially noticeable in the song “In Your Bones” and its elegance of American roots rock, which lovers of the genre will fall in love with. So will a “Mulberry Wine” that invites to party and celebration, because stopping to think for a few moments there is always something to celebrate, and if it is with a glass of blackberry wine, much better. The entrance to “The Emperor’s Clothes” sounds, with its fine soul guitar arrangements, and you know you’re looking at something special and heartfelt, one of those immortal ballads. Although this happens with the entire album, because it is a feat to have organically given birth to these nine songs made with soul, evolving in their sound but still without going out of their way in the best southern tradition. A joy disc.