Review of the Albertans Upcoming Legends of Sam Marco

Recent music history is packed full of hyped failures. The internet has only increased hype-culture. Bloggers' numbers make them a serious critical force, one that can push an un-signed band into the popular stratosphere. Self-releasing albums have become a valuable and sometimes even lucrative measure for bands. But often blog hype is just that... hype. When the eventual product drops we are offered an album of filler surrounding the few tracks that blogs originally exalted. Luckily, The Albertans don't suffer this fate. Their debut comes after some internet rumblings, some South by Southwest toting, even some record label buzz, and name change hype, but their first record pays off.

Legends of Sam Marco is an eclectic and challenging pop record. The Albertans go after a number of sounds and genres and manage to catch them all. When the band first started they had hoped to create a theatrical sound, and while they may have ditched that original intent to focus more on pop songwriting, elements of the dramatic are still present throughout this album. These elements add extra emphasis and changes in order to craft surprising turns.

"Marie" somehow manages to combine the watery guitar lines of Band of Horses with the passion of a '50s love song and the results are stunning. "We're On Our Own" travels completely different territory by offering the listener a glimpse of what Frank Zappa could have done if he had been more pop-inclined. Proggy romps bump up against some disco-pop and hushed melodies to make an excellent and catchy tune. "I Want You" is a stripped down and rhythm-heavy ditty that recalls The Magnetic Fields if they had a show-tune singer.

Second-half highlights include "Anna Rose," an emotive soul jam, full of punchy guitars, bellowed vocals and pleading choruses, "Sam Marco," a folky trip into Americana complete with fiddle and acoustic guitar, and "The Bright Side," a beautiful, building piece of whispered atmosphere and dramatic instrumentation.

Perhaps what is most satisfying about this album is the diversity. No two tracks sound alike, and despite this disparity the album flows well. The shifts in tone are not disruptive because the impassioned approach is always the same and the melodic know-how is always present to keep things entertaining and catchy. Not many bands can spread their parameters so wide without merely ripping them to shreds, but The Albertans manage gracefully. For once the hype-machine created a suitable product.