Andy Lehman & The Night Moves – Lowcountry [Review]
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Sumptuous, melodic, well-composed, earnestly written — What can’t you say about Andy Lehman & The Night Moves’ new album, Lowcountry?
Oh yeah, their next show is at a high school. And the one after that, too.
In Lowcountry, Lehman and his cohorts take a style of music that seems destined to be derivative and reinvent it into a fresh sound in all 11 tracks — no small feat. What stands out most here is that even though these are unabashedly pop songs, they draw much of inspiration from the crude oil of country music, which heartens the thin broth of pop-rock where they firmly land.
Andy Lehman & The Night Moves are an unabashed product of Greenville, South Carolina (I could tell they were from South Carolina before I even looked it up — and that’s a good thing) whose sound would play well anywhere. Great bands know who they are, and don’t shy away from it — a strategy that works so long as who you are is good. Albums of this quality from a young band make it plainly obvious that these guys benefit greatly from a range of favorable influences.
Hipsters Read: Country Music is Not Terrible.
But what really pulls Lowcountry together is the masterful production, which draws the rhythm elements into a space of their own. The one real question mark is how well this album would translate to live performance – since it seems to rely on many subtle and extra-band (a term I have just invented) sounds. But then again, with melodies this good, it’s even harder to imagine a band so talented screwing it up
But don’t worry Mauldin and Hillcrest High Schools, you’ve got a good one on your hands.
Go Rams!
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