Advertisement

Album reviews Music

Sam Roberts Band

Rating: NNN


Sam Roberts can’t keep his psychedelic, African-influenced groove under wraps. Light on the meat-and-potatoes bangers that rock radio prefers from him, his latest release experiments with a healthy amount of soul-searching while his 11 tracks roam unchained. Five full-lengths in, Roberts plays it anything but safe: nothing resembles Don’t Walk Away Eileen. Lo-Fantasy harkens back to the wandering vibe of his 2006 sophomore full-length, Chemical City, while retaining the jazzy feel of 2011’s Collider.

“I could’ve been a contender,” he sings desperately on Kid Icarus, the closest to a traditional single on the album. At times airy and middling, the record (CD version comes with gratuitous Youth Banda remixes) isn’t career-defining. Thankfully, though, Roberts is less concerned with sticking to a chunky, riff-driven formula than with experimenting with the many layers that he and his band are capable of producing.

Top track: Golden Hour

Sam Roberts Band play Adelaide Hall on February 13.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted