Album Review: Some Army - EP

Some Army's EP release show is on September 22
@ Local 506 w/ T0W3RS and Gray Young

Some Army are a band that have been thrust into the limelight of the Carolina music scene.  While Russell Baggett's former band The Honored Guests made waves in the Triangle, none were quite as massive as what's about to hit the shore with this fantastic EP to be released on September 22 at Local 506 with T0W3RS and Gray Young.

Some Army released a breathtakingly beautiful 7" this year that immediately became one of my most played releases, "Servant Tires" glides along just as delicately on the opener of this EP as it did on the 7".  It's the perfect attention grabbing opener for this near 30 minute sonic adventure.  As I write this I've got my headphones on in my bedroom and find it hard to focus on anything that isn't Some Army, their music encapsulates you.  Stretching across genres, Some Army builds an ethereal soundscape backed by driving rhythms and soaring melodies to produce a unique and mesmerizing sound.




Bright falsettos and dreamy guitars entrance the listener just enough to hang onto every passing lyric.  On tracks like "Business Gee" we're greeted with jaunting percussion and distant guitar lines, but we're brought back to ease with bouncy keyboard riffs and an equally adventurous melody boasting attention grabbing lines like, "I know that you work all your life to be boring/But nothing good happens at four in the morning".  The way the melody contours to the lyrics leaves you anticipating the release, which comes with a beautiful rise to a Yorke-esque falsetto.  And while the band can echo comparisons to acts like Radiohead or My Morning Jacket,  at times the band's North Carolina roots shine through as well.  With a catchy guitar hook opening up "Under The Streetlights", Baggett croons about "Getting so stoned" under a rainbow, but eases his way through a melody that echoes that of an Americana band, riding the tight drum beat all the way to an erupting chorus.  "Under the streetlights we're the fireflies of the town", is just one rustic piece of imagery that sticks out on this all out rock track.  It's this versatility that makes Some Army such a fantastic group, they've perfectly wielded the larger than life elements of psychedelic pop music with the rootsy, soulful riffs and rhythms that can be found in Americana and rock music.

From top to bottom there isn't a poor track on this EP.  There's a short instrumental segue of "Queens" which leads into "Fall On Your Sword", two tracks that were featured on the 7" as well, but fit in perfectly within the context of this EP.  "We've Been Lucky" is a somber and powerful track that features a hopeless reprise of, "The shit storm will lay you out/Until now we've been lucky", however the instrumentation steers the song towards a far more hopeful direction.  A subtle harmonica line fits in perfectly among the rest of the psychedelic instrumentation, giving a folk based instrument an incredibly entertaining contemporary twist.  Closer "Children of the Maiz" is no different, a slow churning blend of psychedelic pop and folk with clever lyricism and addicting melodies.  Some Army's release show is with two of the finest openers they could fit with, T0W3RS and Gray Young.  Expect a full crowd for this show at the 506, I for one can barely contain my excitement.  Some Army have proved they've got some staying power with this 7 track EP, and one can only imagine what lies in the future of a band that's started off with such an incredible debut.  September 22 can't come soon enough!