Posted on: March 17, 2015 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Atlanta has a long and storied history of churning out hip hop and R&B greats. But a much smaller and less publicized scene there boasts some pretty impressive rock bands. Radio Birds is just one of the latest.0004315267_10

This four-piece plays straight ahead rock music, reminiscent of the first Black Crows album mixed with Springsteen’s earnest vocals and just enough country twang to bring to mind a band like the Old 97’s. The music on Contemporary Slang has stripped off all pretention – a rarity it seems nowadays – so the focus is completely off the band and put on the songs.

A slow boil jam like “Miss Ilene,” with its Blues guitar and perfect backing vocals, pairs quite nicely with a more raucous track like “Sleep City” or the album opener “Hold on Me.” Radio Birds may be Atlanta’s best kept secret at the moment, but if there’s any justice, they won’t be a secret for much longer.

Radio Birds – Contemporary American Slang/11 tracks/Brash Records/2015

 

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