Oddfellas are a 4 piece rock band from Pampa Texas who play what some might call “alternative” rock music. I suppose as there is a touch of Seattle grunge at points making that partly true. However, that is not fully fair as they definitely have links to what we refer to as “classic” rock. In fact, I would guess that the bassist Lino Alcaraz has more than one album by Free in his collection going by some of his playing!
The band have a new EP out which is self-titled and is rather good all round. What I like is the clarity of sound. All the instruments are clear and there is plenty of room for each to be heard due to the construction of the songs. It features 5 songs, 6 tracks. The reason being that one song has both a radio edit and then one with some naughty words making it 6.
ODDFELLAS – EP
I am not sure of the running order as I haven’t got the physical copy of the EP. So I will talk about the songs in the order that is on my download version. First up (for me) is “Blame” which grooves along nicely for the most part and has some tidy drum fills from Mason Galaviz especially late in the song after the false ending where it goes all 60s psychedelia. In fact, that psychedelic vibe comes through on a couple of songs including “Dead” with the wailing guitar solo later in the song. The earlier part does have quite a Soundgarden meets Led Zeppelin feel to it. Especially due to the vocal wail section over the echoing guitar sounds. The bass on this is particularly strong and noticeable.
“Disguise” is slightly funkier, with the verses having plenty of groove and the choruses being more mellow. It is slightly poppier in style but is still a good track. “Reason” is definitely the grungiest track here. Sounding like early Soundgarden so quite punky, faster, more driven especially around the 2 and a half minute mark than the other songs. I rather like the guitar fills in the latter part of the song which add a slightly different dynamic to it all.
Double Finale
Finally, the song that appears twice “Walk On By” is quite intense yet very infectious. Strangely (and I mean strangely) there are a couple of musical lines that could have come from the song “18 And Life” by Skid Row! They are brief though. At times the lyrics are almost spat out by singer Drake Fisher who sounds a little breathy or throaty at times yet still has plenty of power to hit you in the gut. The opening reminds me of something. I have tried to work it out. If I had hair I would have torn it out, but I can’t quite get it. Just the opening refrain. It is very effective and the band build upon it beautifully going their own way musically and lyrically. From looking at the guys in the videos I have seen, I guess it might be something they heard from one of their parent’s album collections as they seem pretty young (mind I am getting very old!). Suffice to say I love the song in its entirety.
Tom’s Parting Thoughts
Another new band to me and another that has impressed me. This is a fine EP with well-crafted songs that takes a little from different eras and styles of rock music and combines them in very impressively. Definitely a band to keep your eyes open for going forward. I most definitely like! Out NOW!
BUY (Downloadable): AMAZON.com / AMAZON.co.uk
BUY (Hard Copy): OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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