I’ve never really known what the term Americana really means. But if it means music which captures the essence of the country from which it takes its name, if it is music which could only have originated in a land of adventure and opportunity, of big skies and endless roads, then The Blind Pilots must be Americana.
All Kinds of Crazy is an album of songs that soaks up everything from early blues to that genre’s later electric revolution, stoner rock vibes to foot-on-the-monitor rock and roll. Throw in some sassy and solid riffs, gorgeous grooves, howling harmonica and lyrics which have something to say and you have the full package.
It is the sound of truck stop stomps and grassroots bar bands, of back street Chicago blues clubs, late-night jam sessions and hip urban venues, it is the past being reinvented for a new audience, it is both timeless and forward-thinking. If this is the sound of America, then the only real question is this. What the hell am I doing sat here an ocean away?
