Tasty by name, tasty by nature. Tasty is the perfect word; so much music seems made up of bombast and bravado, conformity and comfort zones, blunt sonic trauma, or insipid and obvious musical moves. Tasty suggests something more deft and delicately put together, something more elegant and eloquent, perhaps, something that stands out, something not necessarily heading off down new creative pathways, not new or revolutionary but just something done, well, better, than most of the competition.
And that is precisely what is going on here. Native Tounge might sound familiar; its blend of rock and Americana, alt-country, and classic singer-songwriter styles are instantly recognizable and welcoming, but the songs are so good, so well crafted, and their delivery is so succinct, sweet, and sassy that they rise above what those genres might suggest.
I always feel that a lot can be garnered from an album within the first two songs, and so it is here. “Done and Dusted” is one of those country-infused rock songs that you already feel as if you have been listening to it half your life, perhaps the very definition of a classic, and “Maybe I’m a Queen,” which follows, is a drifting ballad, all understatement and acoustic shimmer, heartfelt sentiment and sonic beauty. And these two songs, when taken as a pair, speak volumes about the band’s sonic spectrum.
Having set the markers in the creative landscape, The Tasty Kings, with Blondie Chaplin at the vocal helm, wander towards one or the other as they see fit. “South America” is a hushed and hazy reflection, “Oceans Unfaithful” is a funky, Stones-infused blues groover, and “Steady Reggie” even sees the band head for the Islands and get their reggae on!
Native Tongue reminds us that much of the heavy lifting has already been done in music. You don’t need to invent new sounds and styles, fuse genres, and split the sonic atom; all you have to do is learn from the past, adopt the sounds and styles that are already established, admired, and well-loved, and use those building blocks to create new sonic architecture.
In short, you don’t have to do things too differently to turn people’s heads; you just have to do things better whilst adding your signature moves and personal creativity. Do that, and you will find yourself with one foot in the familiar and the other in the fresh and forward-thinking. I can’t think of a better place for a band to position itself.
