From Salt Lake City comes the unmistakably unique sound of Night Marcher. A mix of blues, rock, soul, and psychedelic, Night Marcher gives us something special and meaningful with their new album Modern Maze. From the moment the vocals start, it is clear that Night Marcher is going to be a band many people gravitate towards in 2016.
The opener is a track aimed for the charts, Saint. This fast paced and well executed track has it all – great production, great musicianship and a well structured style. The vocals are fun, the guitar riff is catchy, especially alongside the upbeat piano hits. The song cleverly uses beautiful female harmonies to fill out the track, and all of these smart artistic choices make for one solid track. This is followed by the emotionally driven track Broken Path, a City And Colour meets Gavin DeGraw style song that hits all the right notes. Not shockingly, this track focuses on using all the tools in the Night Marcher box to create a sound that instantly sucks you in.
Mask is my favorite track right now (you know how favorite tracks can change). This song is beautifully written. From the start it screams “Hit Single”, and in my opinion it should be the one that Night Marcher shines their brightest light on. This track is devious and poetic, the tempo changes are both exciting and creative, and the vocals are paired beautifully with all the instruments that sing themselves.
Modern Maze is an album filled with some great musical moments and unexpected twists. A few of the tracks are a bit too close to sounding like something I have heard before, like Chin Up for starters, but that being said, what Night Marcher brings us is unique to themselves, and should not be passed up by anyone.
8/10
