The Lonesomes

Adi gelbart's Cow-Fi Electric Four peace band. And Also an Alt.Country band From Oregon USA. What makes an alt.country band in 2007? The genre's leadership is long gone. Like each DIY movement before it, those aligned to alt.country fly the flag of attitude while denying direct allegiance to their obvious influences. What to make, then, of a band that seems to lack all such posturing, who exult in a simple campfire tale, but who aren't afraid to twang?

What makes an alt.country band in 2007? The genre's leadership is long gone. Like each DIY movement before it, those aligned to alt.country fly the flag of attitude while denying direct allegiance to their obvious influences. What to make, then, of a band that seems to lack all such posturing, who exult in a simple campfire tale, but who aren't afraid to twang?

For THE LONESOMES of Portland, Oregon, U.S.A., it's as natural a thing to politely strum as it is to rock; their debut disc, Circling The Sun, does so in equal measures. The foursome relies upon the relaxed confidence of Phil Favorite's songwriting. His under-the-skin, Everyman melodies inhabit each track, his slightly weathered voice the perfect vehicle for his passenger-side narratives. Drummer Robyn Hercey and bassist Mark Zehr, anchoring the rhythm section, have been friends and musical partners long enough to account for their seemingly telepathic performances. Ex-Thrillbilly guitarist Mark Dybvig joined the group in 2005 to contribute his scorching and sympathetic string-work to the band's live shows and most its recent album, 2006's Quick Fixes & Power Trips.

Sweeping through rock, pop and Americana labels, the Lonesomes' music settles on you like the common dust of a shared backcountry road trip. Driving music, by definition. Nothing rushed, nothing forced, yet fueled by an insistent forward momentum.

The anecdotal quality of these songs, rich in detail, are familiar, accessible and conveyed with the gift of a great storyteller: the "undisputed indie-rock queen" of Twenty-Five, Broke and Alone shares as many foibles as our narrator who shrinks in her presence when they cross paths in a music shop. Weight of the World is anything but heavy; ripe with broken trusts though it may be, it jangles along with an easygoing nonchalance. Summer Friend's pedal steel runs gently tug upon childhood memories before drawing them into the present.

On other fronts, Devil's Interval posits a songwriter's gothic, medicated turmoil punctuated with appropriate power chord shifts and stops. The grinding chug of Shootout at Larch Mountain offers the requisite confrontation with ATF agents, while the throbbing pulse of Jack is pulled to and fro by rapidfire fretwork.

With Circling The Sun, The Lonesomes offer up a thirteen song collection of true originals?songs that whisper and hum across vast landscapes, while still hitting close to home.