American Babies is an Americana band that has been comprised of musicians that those who are familiar with the jam band community might recognize. Tom Hamilton, the lead vocalist and guitarist in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, started the group in 2007. The original self-titled album from the group also featured the likes of Joe Russo, the drummer of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and Aron Magner, a keyboardist and founding member of the Disco Biscuits. The recording and touring lineup has changed a few times throughout the years, with Tom Hamilton remaining as the band’s key mainstay. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to go ahead and jump on into the music.
“Synth Driver” starts out steadily with some nearly ominous synth lines that slowly move towards a more serene sound. Oh wow, I really dig this a bunch already. The drums have this super groovy heartbeat-like sound, while the synths seem to be washing throughout the soundscape, while the guitar gently rings some clean tones into the track that breathe an air of purity into the tune. Oh wow, the gentle background chorus vocals are super sweet as they blend with the sounds of the synth and the ringing of the guitar. Holy smokes, some acoustic guitar comes into the tune and seems to shift the soundscape to a somewhat more earthly feel. Oh wow, this tune is super groovy. Holy smokes, this extended jam is super tasty. The bass line seems to move the tune so gently yet so much from the background. Holy smokes, this tune is sweet. Wow, great track to start this album and I’m super excited for more.
Oh wow, “Oh Darling, My Darling” has a feel at the beginning between the sounds of the 80s synths and keyboards that make the tune sound like it’s building up to some classic 80s tune like Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”. Holy smokes, the snare to start out the chorus is super groovy, and sounds as though it seems to echo that 80s sound again. Oh wow, the synth solo is awesome. Holy smokes, this tune is super tasty. Holy smokes, this jam is absolutely epic. The contrasting flavors between the warm sounds of the distorted guitar mixed with the bright synths with the flavors from the clean guitar that seem to drip and melt into the soundscape are absolutely awesome. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Alone in the House” has such a flavorful resolution coming off of the heels of the previous track, with a feeling as though you’ve just been blasted off in an alien ship into outer space, though at this point you’re simply floating through space. Super sweet tune.
Holy smokes, “What Does It Mean to Be” starts off with such a groovy snare to seemingly reintroduce gravity to the listening experience. The distorted guitar provides such an interesting combination of warmth and grit during the chorus, while the bass seems to roll through the soundscape during the verse. Holy smokes, this tune is groovy. Oh wow, the synth in this tune is super tasty. The gospel-like chorus vocals really provide such a flavorful lifting sound in the tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “Fever Dreams” once again has a sort of feeling as though you’re once again being propelled through space, but in almost a celebratory fashion this time. Oh wow, the drone of the bass in the background while the acoustic guitar jangles in the soundscape has such a tasty sound, which seems to introduce a cosmic country landscape as a pedal steel slide guitar comes into the soundscape. Holy smokes, this tune is super tasty and has such a dynamic sound. Holy smokes, the celebratory sounds at the end are super groovy. I can’t get enough of the drums in this one, I really dig the beat, and the horns in the soundscape add such a tasty flavor too. Wow, great tune.
Oh wow, “Not in a Million Years” starts out with some guitar that gradually rings into the soundscape, and the overall feel as the tune progresses is something that almost reminds me of TOOL meets some sort of roots rock band. Oh wow, this tune seems to be an instrumental, and has turned into an eclectic mix of genres, drawing from industrial sounds, electronic sounds, indie sounds, sounds reminiscent of roots rock, and at times even seems a bit shamanic in nature. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Bring It in Close” begins with such a flavorful feeling of resolution coming off of the heels of the previous track. The slow and simple drum beat, mixed with the pleasing piano line, and the super pleasant guitar work that almost reminds me of a slower-moving John Mayer tune all combine for such a tasty groove. The organs bring in a super tasty swirling sound. Oh wow, the droning bass notes in the background add such a flavorful depth to the tune. Oh wow, the a cappella ending is super sweet. Great tune.
Oh wow, “An Epic Battle Between Light and Dark” starts out with some bass work that has such a gentle sound that seems to easily groove the tune forward. Oh wow, there’s already a ton of different flavors in the tune; some sweet orchestral strings at times, a nearly ominous synth, and some drums that sound like they could be from an EDM song at times. Oh wow, the movement of sounds is super ominous at this point, and nearly sounds like it could be from some sort of movie score. Oh wow, the vocals come back on and seemingly break through a ton of tension that the tune had built up. Oh wow, the feeling of resolution is super tasty as all of the instruments combine for a really sweet finish. Wow, great tune, and a great way to end the album.
Holy smokes, this album is super sweet. The entire album felt like a long, epic journey, which moved between a mix of genres that included flavors of indie rock, progressive rock, industrial rock, hard rock, jam bands, 80s rock, roots rock, cosmic Americana, and even more. Trying to list all of the different genres in the album wouldn’t really do the album much justice, as the execution ought to be heard, as the band seems to send you through space and back with the different songs and styles throughout the album. If you enjoy eclectic albums that include influences from some of the genres I listed and more, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the experience at least as much as I did.
-A