ALBUM REVIEW: THE SIGHTS – LEFT OVER RIGHT
The Sights – Left Over Right
The Sights’ new record Left Over Right is a sweet collection of high-energy rock and soul from this Detroit quintet who have been pounding the pavement for some 14+ years now. I instantly latched on to the fast and poppy stuff, but after about a listen-and-a-half I was starting to fall head-first into their slower, catchy grooves and infectious hooks too. Fans of Sloan will easily relate to the up-tempo tracks (Left Over Right, Anything to Anyone) but the core of this record is the more groove heavy, slower tracks like Prayer and You Are the Sunshine. Then there’s the 70’s am-radio gem Mercy, which kicks in sort of lo-fi before taking on the warm, full production prevalent throughout the rest of the record, and the surprise-left-turn countrified closer Easy Living that wouldn’t be out of place next to Glen Campbell or the Ozark Mountain Daredevils circa 1975.
It seems apparent that great thought went into what goes where – this organ riff, that sax solo, a double vocal here, a dropout there, but the record does not come across as overthought. Taking it all in does require a commitment from the listener, though. The deepest pop-hooks are the ones that you pick up after hearing a song a couple times. “Hey – I remember that from when I listened to this yesterday!” rather than the easy shots taken by lesser-songwriters and producers that grab you right away but fade quickly as the record is passed over for the next new thing. The Sights have it down and the reward is at the creamy center. This one will be in rotation for a while. Keep an eye out for these guys who will hopefully be doing some more local gigs when they return from supporting Tenacious D. on tour all Summer!
http://www.sightsarmy.com/thesights/
