Rockford Road – Epilogue
Rockford Road – Epilogue – Album Review
Ayyyy – the old boys are back in town! Better Epilogue than epitaph, am I right?
It was sometime back in the summer of 2021 that we last had Rockford Road on our pages when reviewing the album 60 Grit. I might not remember everything about anything in life, mainly because I’m gettin’ older too – but I certainly remember the title track from that record – I can still hear it in my head. Anyhow – good to see they’re still out there doin’ their thing. At least, for now I suppose – you have to wonder when you come across a title for an album like Epilogue…because if we’re talkin’ about literal definitions, Rockford Road could very well be signaling the beginning of the end. Time will tell.
“State Of The Union” opens up the album and reveals a really well-produced and clean sound to the band’s vibe. Addressing the state of the world and the current divide that has been ripping their nation completely in half, likening modern day politics to the history of the Hatfields and McCoys – Rockford Road comes out swinging with a whole lot to say & noticeable discontent at the start of their latest album. Can’t say I blame them for feeling the way they do – “garbage in, garbage out” as they say – it’s been a tough world to navigate these days, and if you’re not too careful, you get sucked into the bullshit right quick. At the moment, I still have the good fortune of being Canadian – but make no mistake, all the things that Rockford Road are singing about ain’t too far off for us up above the borderline either. It’s just a matter of time, and I do feel like there’s a certain part of the decline of the American empire that plays a role in that. With things being so dysfunctional down south right now, you can see the effect that’s having not just in the good ol’ USA, but all around the world. “State Of The Union” doesn’t really pretend that they have the answers to the current problems we’re facing so much as point out the many problems we’re experiencing as a result of the valley of malls we’ve created and valuing the wrong things to guide us along from the word of the media to the almighty dollar. We’ve got issues y’all, no matter what side of the border you’re on or what state you’re living in – the unrest we’re experiencing as society at-large is something we can all feel in the air, and now even bands like Rockford Road are writing about it. Interesting tune to lead with for sure – I can’t say I disagree with what they’re bringing up – and it just so happens that they also sound fantastic, even if they’re bitchin’ about things that suck.
I mean, look – these are things that are on people’s minds right now. Art is more often a reflection of life than it’s not, and it’s a way that we document what’s really going on with more truth than you’ll ever find beaming outta your TV. So when I hear them singin’ about how they need “A Place To Hide,” believe me, I get it – so many of us wish we had that as of late. Would it do us any good? Probably not in the long run, but fuck me, wouldn’t it just be nice to take a BREAK from all the bad news for a day? That’s the point we’re at right now, and tracks like “State Of The Union” and “A Place To Hide” echo that sentiment on a conceptual level. I’ll admit, it was interesting to try and wrap my head around “A Place To Hide” when it comes to the music part of things…lyrically, trust me, they’re being crystal clear…but yeah – musically, it seemed like…hmm…like things were both a bit more scattered than normal, yet also able to meet up at cohesive points that would have you concluding everything is being played with the purpose and intent that it should be. I kept coming back to the keys in the background and wondering why the heck they seemed to be wandering around as much as it felt like they were. Then, the more I seemed to concentrate on that, the more it warped the rest of what was surrounding them. So…yeah – it’s a bit of a warped construct, but like I was saying, it all seems to line up at the corners like it should, so I guess you gotta conclude this is all by design. It’s a weird design, but it does seem to work. The main hooks of “A Place To Hide” really worked for me…I really like how the vocals sound in that part.
I dig the details you can hear in a song like “Shades Of Blue.” I’m kind of neither here nor there when it comes to the lyricism of this particular tune, but as for the rest, I’m diggin’ it for sure. The inclusion of the saxophone for instance, is brilliant – the musicianship you’ll find there is nothing short of superb. I also felt like the piano/keys and the drums really came to life alongside it. The bass too to an extent – I suppose you could say the rhythm section truly got its groove on during ”Shades Of Blue.” As far as the singer is concerned, this was another genius addition to this particular tune – she makes this material shine as brightly as possible, to the point where I’d listen to her sing the phonebook, you know what I mean? I’m not hearing anything all that particularly new in the lyricism, but the sheer soul and skill that the singer possesses practically makes the words irrelevant – I just wanna listen to her voice doin’ what it does. Straight up, she’s magnificent, and I don’t think there’s a single pair of ears out there that could possibly disagree with that assessment. “Shades Of Blue” is a great example of how not every single piece of a song needs to be completely amazing in order for the moment in time to be perfect, you dig? So what if I think the lyrics are just alright? Big deal! There are so many other things about this song going so spectacularly right that it really doesn’t matter what’s being sung about – Rockford Road would captivate, charm & dazzle ya on “Shades Of Blue” even if it was sung in a whole different language y’all.
“Don’t wanna set the world on fire.” It’s probably good that they feel that way, because I don’t think that’s gonna happen with “Trying To Break Even,” which is built on much of what’s been tried, tested, and true in music’s history. I ain’t hating on it – in fact, I really enjoy the melody they’ve got goin on in the chorus of this tune – but yeah…not a whole lot goin’ on that’s new here, and a bit too adherent to the ol’ rhyme-scheme for my own personal taste I guess. They’re laidback here, and ultimately it works – “Trying To Break Even” might not light the world ablaze with energy or that inspired spark you wanna hear in the music on your playlist, but I don’t think it’s offensive in a way that’ll turn any of you off either. I do find tracks like this interesting though…like…if Rockford Road isn’t trying to set the world on fire, and we can feel that in the performance – shouldn’t that be the cue to scrap this and move on? Don’t get me wrong, like I said, there are plenty of redeeming qualities to be found in the melody and I dig the lackadaisical way they seem to plod through this one without feeling the kind of pressures that most bands and artists feel when they push record…Rockford Road meanders through this tune without any sense of urgency, and for whatever reason, that doesn’t seem to hinder the results of what we hear. “Fa la la,” as they say…”Trying To Break Even” just kind of is what it is…it’s a song, and you can listen to it…you probably won’t feel like it’s the track of all tracks, but you won’t be inclined to turn it off either.
The saxophone has been stealin’ the show for me whenever it gets significant time on a Rockford Road tune throughout this record – great feel for that instrument in this band, and it energizes the vibe on tracks like “Oh No! I’m In Love.” Make no mistake, when these guys are just jammin’ it up freely, they’re highly entertaining for sure. That’s no knock against the vocals either – I generally like what I hear from the microphone even if I might not say it’s always my favorite part of any given tune – it’s more of a comment on the limitations of structure, you know? Like when players are busy tryin’ to color inside the lines to create a verse or a chorus and keep things consistent, there’s simply less freedom in those spots than there would be in the surrounding instrumentation – that’s all I’m saying. So like, when you hear Rockford Road jamming around the verses and choruses of “Oh No! I’m In Love,” you can really notice the whole band come alive and that inspired spark you wanna hear in the instrumentation flares right up. I really like the harmonies that are added to the title of this tune when they sing it, and I appreciate the amount of personality they’ve got in this song too…”Oh No! I’m In Love” is a playful cut that works. Listen to the way they wrap this one up will ya? Everything they’ve got goin’ on in the final minute of this song is right up there with some of the very best that I’ve heard from Rockford Road to-date, 100%.
Like, let’s be real here – a lot of what Rockford Road chooses to sing about is bloody BLEAK y’all – but if you feel like they’re not singing about the truth in the future to come, you might wanna listen closer and realize they’re basically using their collective wisdom gained throughout their years to warn the people about what’s ahead if we don’t all sort our shit out. “Who Do We Think We Are” is about…hmm…well, I suppose you’d say it’s a comment on what human nature is like, and how much we take our surroundings for granted. When it comes to excess, and our collective more, more, MORE, attitude – we live at the expense of the very planet we’re livin’ on each and every day…yet that doesn’t seem to ever curb our behavior or even get the majority of us to stop and think. We’re an entitled bunch, and that’s just about the worst attribute ever in my opinion – but tell me I’m wrong about that based on the actions we’ve taken since like, the industrial revolution on-forward. I don’t wanna put too many of my own thoughts & feelings in here – Rockford Road has summed up a lot of how I feel about this planet concisely and accurately on “Who Do We Think We Are” – and you should listen to it before it’s too late. This is an insightful crew of old fellers when it comes right down to it…they’ve kind of got a Neil Young type of tune on “Who Do We Think We Are” in terms of its ecological awareness and how it directly points the finger at all of us to remind us that we’re responsible for the mess that we’re in. They’re not entirely without hope, but creating meaningful change is “so hard to do with all that we’re used to” – it’s an uphill battle to say the least, and from my personal experience, people don’t tend to really make any substantial changes until they basically have no choice & what affects them reaches their own backyard. It’d be hella nice to be proactive for once in this planet’s history, but “we used up almost everything” – and that generally includes our collective brain cells apparently – “so here it comes, and we can see the end.” “What did we expect? It was up to me & you.” You might not like to hear it, but that’s the truth.
“I’m Doing Fine” is written from the perspective of the aftermath in a relationship, as in, post-breakup. While many folks out there might not be able to draw the line from point-A to point-B when it comes to the tunes that Rockford Road has written about the destruction of society as we know it, they’re at least pretty damn sure to be able to relate to a tune about heartbreak like “I’m Doing Fine.” There’s never any harm in bringing people a couple degrees closer to your music through themes they can fully grasp, and “I’m Doing Fine” supplies that. As accurate and insightful as they tend to be, however rhymey, they do a great job in describing the attitude we take on after a relationship has disintegrated. We go through those ups and downs…sometimes we’re strong, sometimes we’re weak, sometimes we’re just gonna say “I’m Doing Fine” even though nothing could actually be further from the truth. It’s a thing we do as human beings for self-protection, emotional preservation, or to simply not give someone else the satisfaction of knowing that they were able to hurt us way more than we’d ever want to admit. I dig “I’m Doing Fine” – I really like it when the female lead shows up to sing in these Rockford Road tunes, and have no qualms about pointing out how much the quality of the vocals tends to rise in these songs. They’re always good for the most part vocally, but I think we can all agree that she’s undeniably great.
I appreciate that “Snake Bit” has a bit more of a throwback/psychedelic vibe to it, bringing it closer to what you’d remember from the ol’ Strawberry Alarm Clock days or The Animals with the way this song sounds – but I’m probably the least partial to this particular track in the lineup overall I’d reckon. To be completely fair to Rockford Road, I think “Snake Bit” probably has the toughest spot in the set-list to fill as well, and there are certainly redeeming factors to it, like the heavily filtered guitar solos in this tune, or the organ in the mix. Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t turning it off…I guess it just felt like it was about a less tangible or relevant topic to me personally…I don’t expect everyone out there to share in that opinion and of course Rockford Road is as free as anyone else to write about whatever the heck they wanna. I suppose I’m just more of a fan of the track they’ve been writing about that take on subjects that are currently afflicting us as a society, even if they’re approaching those from a more despairing angle…that’s where this band seems to excel though, in my opinion. “Snake Bit” is alright, and I’ve enjoyed my time listening to it – but I think you’ll get what I mean when you hear it for yourself – a track like this feels noticeably based in fiction compared to how brutally real the band has been in the majority of the other tunes found on Epilogue. I ain’t even saying that there’s not a kernel of truth or factual information on “Snake Bit” to be found, I’m sure there is…but again, you’ll get what I’m getting at when you have a listen for yourself…it’s more of a fictional setting than a reality-based one is all. They know this kind of sound & style well I’m sure – and once more to be fair to the band, they play this like they own it with confidence and precision…I like that it’s a departure from the rest of Epilogue even if I feel like that could hinder it from finding the acceptance it might have gotten as a standalone single.
Now…there’s a bit of a difference between the version I’m listening to and what I’ve seen posted online – so you might be missing out on something special here at the end. I mean, I had to freakin’ track down the official set-list and artwork LIKE A COMMON PEASANT when us critics are supposed to be treated like we’re all holier than thou…but in the process, I also noticed that the version of Epilogue I found online ended with a song called “Holding On.” So if that’s the version you’ve got in front of ya, then hey, right on – you’re in for a decent tune. I mean, it’s too bad in the sense that it’s not nearly as good as the song that ends the version I have, which is called “Fresh Harvest,” but you know, it is what it is, as they say. All I can do is go with what’s in front of me. As much as I’d love the masses to have the same privilege that I have as a critic getting advance copies of albums and partying with rockstars on the regular…I mean…let’s be real here – that’s what makes you, you, and what makes me, me. So “Fresh Harvest” it is over here, yessiree – jealous? You should be! It’s a great tune, and I don’t know if you’ll ever actually get to hear it. They’re kind of somewhere in between the space created originally by The Band way back in the day and the more modern spin on that being put out there by 54-40 in Canada on “Fresh Harvest” – but this was definitely a sound that suited Rockford Road perfectly. So yes indeed, it’s too bad it looks like only us bourgeoisie folks get it, at least for now. Considering it’s one of the band’s better tunes and more naturally sweet songs, I feel like you probably should have access to it…but alas, that’s well out of my control. Without the official set-list, I don’t even really know if this is where they intended “Fresh Harvest” to sit in the lineup, but it made for the perfect ending in my opinion – I really think it was one of the best tunes that came along with Epilogue, and I’m actually not saying that just to be a jerk because I know you don’t have it…I swear I’m tellin’ ya the truth. Who knows though…I think the album is just starting to get put out there online, so you never know…maybe they’ll swap out “Holding On” for “Fresh Harvest,” or maybe they’ll turn this into a lineup of ten tracks & you’ll get both. In any event, I’d definitely finish on this tune…lyrically, it’s got that end-of-the-day peacefulness to it, and that’s the kind of sweetened conclusion that really felt like a great fit to this record. It’s the kind of tune that alludes to an ending that might not be an Epilogue after all, but the start of a new beginning.
Find out more about Rockford Road at their official website at: https://www.rockfordroadmusic.com
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