Album Description
Through the craggy mountains of sound that North Carolina metal acts have pushed up through the years lies the lulls and valleys populated by pop bands that once dominated the local music scenes, and their younger brethren eager to return to the melodies that first put the state on the map. Climbing down from the monoliths towering above to forge something new and unique is Yearling, featuring Sid Menon, bassist for the uncompromisingly brutal Glass Casket. Cutting his teeth touring the nation with the metal outfit, Menon realized that as much as he enjoyed the shredding and destruction Glass Casket provided him with, his heart still lie in the golden sounds of 70's AM pop. A sound he was eager to breathe new life into and bring back to the forefront in the scene at home. On their debut full-length, The View From Here, Yearling takes the arena-rock appeal of artists like Todd Rundgren and T. Rex and updates it with an ambience and soul all their own. The result is an album bursting with lush harmonies and fluid, textured guitar-work. There are hints of synth and sound loops that flesh things out and make each song it's own animal, an impressive feat in a sea of pop that pays tribute to yesterday and yet all sounds the same. The most impressive thing about the album is that you'll barely notice as the instantly catchy choruses bury themselves inside your head, unable to be shaken for weeks. But that's certainly not a bad thing as you'll find that the mood of the record is such that every time you hum it to yourself you'll be smiling.
