The McCauliffe Brothers Band go for smart but accessible groove on their new album Simpler Days. They have drifted away from the jam band niche to which they were loosely connected on their previous record It's Likely, opting for a more straightforward mid-tempo rock songs instead. The two brothers Chris and Mike McCauliffe set up shop at Sound Grove in their hometown Chapel Hill, NC while drummer Jake Burton chimed in with his tracks recorded in Nashville. Despite being hundred miles apart the albums sounds like it was recorded in the round.
Nostalgia and looking back in general are the main themes on Simpler Days. The brothers are getting older, the music is slower, with a totally at ease groove. They know what they are capable of are OK with that, most notably in the key tracks Out of My Hands and Daydreaming. Reality has sunk in and they move at a gentle pace, playing their songs without peaks and valleys. The jazz and funk bits are gone - To You is the sole exception - with more room for the acoustic guitar. They still dream about a better future, but they keep it closer to home, trying to hold on to the ones they love.
McCauliffe Brothers Band:
Chris McCauliffe: guitar, vocals, keyboards, mellotron
Mike McCauliffe: bass, backing vocals
Jake Burton: drums
Charles Cleaver: piano & keyboards on Light of Day and Out of My Hands
Simpler Days is a self-released album. Buy it from the band's website. Release date:: March 23.
Tracks:- Nosedive
- Light of Day
- You're Gone
- Out of My Hands
- Endlessly
- Daydreaming
- To You
- Calling Out
- Time of the Night
- Stay
» mcbrosmusic.com
HCTF review of It's Likely.
