We’ve talked before here, and more than once, about Eastern Conference Champions, including picking their EP as one of the top 5 of the first half of 2007. So I’m not sure how much more I have to say. They’re a fantastic band who claim to have rejected a major label record deal in favor of doing what they wanted to, which was make the kind of indie rock Axl Rose or Blind Melon might have made. Much of what’s on their new album, Ameritown (release date: July 19th) comes from previous EPs, but not all of it. And frankly, who actually buys EPs anyway? Most of us wait for proper records, with few exceptions, and this one is one that was worth the wait.
Most of it is anthem rock, screamers and stompers, as good as anything else I’ve heard this year. There are only a few missteps along the way. On “Some Sorta Light,†the band comes dangerously close to trying get down home on a slow backporch acoustic number, and Josh Ostrander’s otherwise wonderous voice has a little trouble expressing hushed gravitas. Thankfully, though, the song kicks in halfway through and redeems itself. This is a band that must be LOUD to really be appreciated. They get my highest recommendation.
Taste it:
On occasion, I may like me some Dwight Yoakam or Hank Williams, Jr., but for the most part roadhouse country ain’t my thang. I like alt-country, though, in doses. (Usually doses of Drive-By Truckers or Whiskeytown.) Maybe that’s why I’ve taken a shine to 
The other day I read the best description of mainstream rap I’ve heard in a while, from The
