The Lion the Beast the Beat by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (Vinyl record album review)

Album name: The Lion the Beast the Beat

Group name: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Year: 2012

Number of discs: one

Label: Hollywood Records

Collection: Essex

Buy it on Amazon: $19.98

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of Grace Potter or the Nocturnals, and I definitely don’t know anything about this record.

What I expected

It’s hard to tell from the album, but either rock or techno.

What it was actually like

This was unexpectedly pretty good! It had a very consistent style throughout all the songs, with distinctive thumping bass drums, lots of guitar distortion and Potter’s soaring vocals.

The title track The Lion the Beast the Beat turned quickly into a fast-paced hard rock song that reminded me of 70s- or 80s-style arena rock, while Never Go Back, unmistakably a rock song with prominent bass guitar, also had more of a new wave sound.

Parachute Heart was fine except for a slow chorus that I didn’t like, and Stars was the record’s most boring song and the only to have noticeable country elements (and might have gotten classified as “alternative” a few decades ago), with a relatively slow tempo. It also might have had an electric violin, which could have enhanced a better song, but didn’t do much for this one.

Timekeeper, while also comparatively slow paced, had a throbbing hard rock sound and eerie vocals with piercing keyboards, and I loved it. Another favorite was The Divide, which reminded me slightly of Kashmir, one of my favorite songs.

Like The Reminder by Feist (2007) that I reviewed last week and For the Recently Found Innocent by White Fence (Tim Presley) (2014) that I reviewed last June, a few of these songs reminded me of the Strokes, particularly Loneliest Soul and Turntable, both of which were upbeat and fun. Maybe that’s just how American rock music sounded in the 2000s and 2010s? I wouldn’t know because I haven’t listened to much of it, but it’s hard not to notice.

Keepsake was relatively boring, as was One Heart Missing. I didn’t care for the latter’s orchestral effect, but I appreciated that it still had the thumping drums.

Grade

4/5: would listen again