New York isn't the first place you'd look for good ol', twangy American rock, but Brooklyn's Phonograph has created a fine collection of the rambling, countrified sound that might just surprise you. Their self-titled debut conjures barbed wire, barns, and highways that go flat for miles. Acoustic-based, electrically-charged balladry with a slouched posture fills the album solidly from beginning to end that's surprising in several ways.
What makes Phonograph's debut significant is a sense of raw honesty in the way they sound like something from 30 years ago. They're not doing it for fashion or attention, and it's refreshing. Their laid-back, rural feel is at the core. With a seemingly familiar drawl, singer Matthew Welsh contrasts the pace of the breezy music with a slower cadence that feels like a steady rain shower, not another storm.
Phonograph is a complete album, with nice variations on a central theme: working-class rock. You can't help but envision farmland while listening to it, with all of the stoic toe-tapping and country/western strains. "Have I Told You" has a steady giddy-up beat and plaintive narrative similar to a lot of songs that started off at hoedowns or campfires. "Parsons White" is a little more poignant while "In Your Mind" is more danceable. Overall, the album swerves around this style pretty thoroughly and entertainingly.
For a Brooklyn band's debut, Phonograph is a refreshingly authentic sound of the American heartland. You might expect a song to appear on a Chevy commercial, if they weren't busy with more generic tunes. This album is a good reminder of where rural American rock came from and why it's still around.
