TotW: Living and Dead

To be honest, if I was going to highlight a track from this Hamilton, Onatrio band, Huron, Living and Dead wouldn't be my first pick... but it's still a damn good song, and it's Hallowe'en, so I figured "why not".

This is 70s -style riff-rock, updated for the new century. Riding the wave along with bands like Zeus and Yukon Blonde, these guys are bringing back the guitar solo, overdriven guitar sounds and that great rock ethic that is missing from a lot of these sorts of bands today. Rock 'n roll is a lifestyle for these guys... you can hear it in the music.

An almost spacy intro gives way to nicely fuzzy guitar sound; for this sorta sound you need a good 'fuzz box'. Throughout, the song alternates between big riffs, quiet sections, group vocals, guitar solos, all somehow without sounding like a giant mash-up of styles or like some sort of 'frankenstein' collection of song fragments collected from the studio floor.

So, go have a listen to this not-to-spooky track, with a haunting title. Car windows down, stereo volume way up, devil horns in the air. And then, when you're done, have a listen to The Big Dig... the guitar -centric intro, and the song ending riffs? Fantastic. Also, be double sure to check the guys out over at Southern Souls; a five song set caught on video, including some excellent new material.

» Listen: Huron - Living and Dead