![]() ![]() “Boomerang” is a track that seems so disconnected that I can’t even begin to say what it even might mean. “Downtown” is the closest the brothers come to saying anything remotely interesting, but even here, the upbeat tones don’t match the biting lyrical mood in the slightest. “See It Through” ends by repeating the hook a total of eight times, and the number isn’t much better for “Got A Lotta Love.” In a nutshell, the tracks on Easy Way just don’t say anything. “Please Don’t Call Me Crazy” features a nice fuzzed out groove to it, but the random one-liners that speak of technology’s influence on modern society only barely scratch the surface of anything interesting.Īnd when I say Easy Way is repetitive, that’s barely an opinion. There’s two types of tracks here – love songs, and the sociocultural tracks that sound too disconnected to say anything of relevance. Granted, lyrics have always been the weakest element of a Cactus Blossoms album, but there’s some truly lazy songs here. The biggest failing of Easy Way is that it coasts on style over substance. As much as I hate to say it, Easy Way by the Cactus Blossoms is a disappointing followup for the duo, as nothing on this album sounds remotely interesting or shows the brothers in a new light. And when this record was described as being more “modern,” it seemed like the brothers were ready to step out of those aforementioned shadows.īut Easy Way is only more modern in the sense that now, instead of sounding like the aforementioned Everly Brothers, the Cactus Blossoms now sound like Simon & Garfunkel. They even went as far as to recruit top tier instrumental talent in Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and Michael Lewis of Bon Iver. Instead of JD McPherson behind the production wheel, the brothers handled things themselves. It’s meant as a compliment, but considering their production even pulled from the same retro, ’50’s leaning style of that era, it was hard to look at who The Cactus Blossoms really were.Īnd you can tell brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum likely took that to heart, as they completely shifted gears ahead of their newest release, Easy Way. It’s difficult to find a review of the Cactus Blossoms’ 2016 sophomore project, You’re Dreaming that doesn’t mention the Everly Brothers. On the other hand, there comes a point where those comparisons become inescapable, and instead of focusing on the artist’s (or duo’s or group’s or … ) own individual/collective talent, the main draw is what long lost time period they successfully evoke. On one hand, it can be a great way for them to have their careers gain traction. ![]() The long version: In a way, artists being compared to their influences puts them in a tough spot. Favorite tracks: “Easy Way,” “Got A Lotta Love,” “Please Don’t Call Me Crazy”.The short version: Despite featuring a more refined sonic palette, ‘Easy Way’ by the Cactus Blossoms doesn’t offer much of anything interesting. ![]()
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