Soul Distraction
If you’ve ever dug through your parent’s vinyl collection and felt a slight sense of apathy you can’t really explain, trust in me that you are not alone. Most of us in our 20’s and early 30’s know that there was a period of time, in which some of us were actually alive, that you could turn on the radio and hear a song that was absolutely to die for. Although most of us can’t really remember such a time.
Soul Distraction — “Talk About It Later”
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Talk-About-It-Later.mp3|titles=Talk About It Later]
Now, we all know such ideals are pretty much dead and gone (save for the resurrection of Cee Lo Green), and we are more app’ed (get it?) to digging around on our iPhones and finding the next underground sensation from a city we may have never heard of, and will probably be disbanded within a year after a SXSW appearance and a west and/or east coast tour. We love the music for the music. But, we seem to have lost the Cheap Tricks and the Deep Purples that once were ruling the airwaves, as well as our hearts. And if you long for that classic rock vibe that has seemed to disappeared into the depths of the indie rock sea, fear not, because the sound has been recaptured in a way you probably never imagined. And the high definition lens showing us the future, as well as the past, is seen through the eyes of Portland’s Soul Distraction.
Soul Distraction is to old school rock n’ roll what renaissance fairs must be to monarchy buffs. Hearing these their heavy guitar riffs mash up with Elsa Faith’s soothing yet demanding vocal chords is a sure fire reminder of what it used to mean to be an all around talented group of folks making music that not only appeals to the masses, but shows an array of emotion that is trumped only by the spirit and courage to move forward in a world where total obscurity is more important than the ability to turn the old into something completely fresh and original.
There are many bands from the golden years of rock n’ roll that always seem to stick out in the mind’s of most when it comes to pure musicianship. And, in their own right, they might have deserved the recognition they have earned. But it can mostly said, most of these bands are shit. This could be a potential tangent that is best saved for a later date. So let’s just leave it with this theory: Soul Distraction takes the original blueprints from their predecessors, and perfects in a way that they never did, and never will, really be able to portray on stage or on the recorded surfaces.
For an in depth perspective of Soul Distraction’s ability to create a more defined and original “classic” rock sound, check out their new track “Talk About It Later” from their latest album set to be released later this year. For even more examples, their 2009 release Ticket To Paradise is chalked filled with wonderful rendition of original tracks that will definitely send you through the looking glass of time, and contemplating all that you thought was holy in in your Dad’s collection of hand me down vinyl pressings. Soul Distraction is the finest definition of homegrown rock n roll redefined for the new age. There is absolutely no question about that.