The Great Book of John: The Great Book of John: Straight out of Birmingham, Alabama, this band has been called “the American Radiohead.” Alt rock with just a dash of country sound, replete with emotional male vocals, beautiful guitar riffs, and thick & full background instrumentals. Like a less sing-songy Travis, and less intense Radiohead. Fairly similar to Wilco. Good stuff for any indie or rock show! FCC clean. Try 5, 2, 3, 9.
1) 3:52 Both acoustic and electric guitar, background distortion, calm vocals.
2) 4:33 Upbeat! Bouncy piano chords and lively percussion, with slightly echo-y vocals. Smoother chorus, with strummed guitar.
3) 5:23 Very Radiohead feel to this track, with acoustic guitar, thick background sound, and wide-ranging vocals. Long instrumental outro.
4) 4:24 Strummed acoustic guitar, violin, and male vocals (sounding almost like Bob Dylan style at times). Simple and beautiful.
5) 4:33 Slow piano and strummed guitar, with lyrical vocals. Gorgeous melody, with a violin section toward the end.
6) 4:27 Heavy rock n’ roll guitar riff, but with light percussion, and distant male vocals. Long guitar solo outro.
7) 4:01 Thick, creamy vocals, guitar, drums, and background synths.
8) 3:44 Airy background, vocals wandering up high in the clouds, plucked acoustic guitar.
9) 5:03 Deep, resounding piano chords, lightly strummed guitar, vocals all over the place.
10) 1:51 Echo-y vocals and acoustic guitar. Very Fleet Foxes.
11) 16:12 First four minutes is pretty standard alt rock sound, then a two minute ambient fade-out. Wait for 7 minutes, and there’s a hidden track starting at 12:52. It’s like track 10; just acoustic guitar and echo-y vocals. Nice, though.
Kyle Vandenberg