When one listens to Phonograph, Tom Petty instantly comes to mind. It’s unavoidable. It’s like instantly thinking of beach-ball sized breasts when someone mentions Pam Anderson. The New York folk quintet twirls the same kind of dusky highway rock mingled with bluesy western slides and singer Matthew Welsh sounds exactly like Petty. Whether the band likes it or not, every review of their work will mention the similarity to the stringy-haired musician who penned “Free Fallin.” However, taking the band on its own footing, one discovers a keenly adept folk rock ensemble whose mix of mood and instrumental dexterity adds up to some solid songs.
Phonograph’s 2006 eponymous debut was an interesting take on the Dylan blueprint, injecting blistering electricity and teased-out psychedelia into the schematic. The trend continues with Hiawatha Talking Machine, a 5-song taste of Phonograph’s full-length October release of the same name. From the wild foreboding of “Normal Illinois” to the barroom haze of “Plates On Sticks,” Phonograph delivers a savory appetizer of their full-length fare.
One of the band’s biggest strengths is melding a paisley-fringed Cream dynamic into the midst of their folk rock. The psychedelic “Charles Bircher” mixes warbling echo-chamber with some great clean leads where overdrive rises and drops like a circus hammer. “Somewhere Between” layers itself over simple keys and a solitary violin before the ripe snare and Welsh’s baritone kick the chorus into full gear. Both tracks demonstrate Phonograph’s undeniably courteous take on established music. The earmarks of familiarity are there, but the band makes it their own. And it’s still sounding good.
--Matt Wendus
