(Self-released, digital)
Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity states that the flow of time can change depending on one’s traveling speed. Fairlee singer-songwriter Lance Mills may not be approaching the speed of light, but there’s no debating the quantum throwback he’s created in Green Mountain Saturday Nighthis solo debut. Over 12 rambling, rollicking and swinging tracks, the former front man of the Screwtops takes a tour through the 20th-century American songbook. He channels rock, country, Americana, folk and blues into an album that sounds like one you might find combing through a yard sale or the dusty bins near the back of a thrift store.
“Hi-Way 5 Drive In Saturday Night” kicks off the record with a blast of rockabilly that shoots you straight back to the days of roller-skating waitresses, white-wall tires and greased hair. Mills leads his band through a Gene Vincent-style rocker about having a bucket of beer and a pretty girl named Sue in the passenger seat of his T-Bird.
“Lordy Lordy” keeps the chronological shift going, mixing in that other great American obsession: wrestling with Judeo-Christian guilt in a sepia-toned struggle for the soul, waged with twanging guitars and a vicious fiddle. “Momma told me when I was a boy, one day I’d see / Whiskey and women going to be the death of me / Lordy Lordy going to save me from sin,” Mills sings.
Green Mountain Saturday Night pulls off the impressive feat of not sounding like a tribute, as records re-creating the sounds of the past often do. When Mills engages in some proper maudlin, sad-sack country on “I Let Her Fall,” the authenticity comes not just from the weeping pedal steel guitar but from the soft, remorseful vocals he lays down.
The album was recorded at the Underground studio and performance space in Randolph. Producer Vincent Freeman captures the retro sounds perfectly, keeping a balance between modern techniques and letting the throwback tones slip in at the right moments.
Some of the songs get bogged down in nostalgia, such as “Benny’s Silvertone,” which leans a little too hard into Creedence Clearwater Revival cosplay. But even then, Mills drops lyrical Easter eggs that anyone living in the Green Mountains will pick up. Shout-outs to Fred Tuttle’s farm, covered bridges and old grist mills establish his bona fides.
A few tracks on the album deviate from its theme, such as “Brushwood Road,” with its snarling, distorted guitars, and the organ-driven, echo-laden “Ghost Shadow.” They don’t rock the boat so much as provide glimpses of Mills’ range.
Green Mountain Saturday Night is a charming, rocking and skillfully created time machine. While you can’t cue it up on a jukebox anywhere, it’s streaming at lancemills.bandcamp.com.
source
Disclaimer: The use of videoreddit.edu.vn and the content generated on this website is at your own risk. The platform is not responsible for the use that users may make of the content presented here. Although we make every effort to ensure that the information provided is accurate and appropriate, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or relevance of the content.
The website is not responsible for any loss, damage or harm that may arise from the use of this site, including, but not limited to, direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages. Users are responsible for their own actions and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
In addition, videoreddit.edu.vn is not responsible for user-generated content or opinions expressed by users. We reserve the right to remove any content that we deem inappropriate, offensive or that violates our policies or applicable laws, without prior notice.
