Sons of Daughters - s/t

Sons of Daughters
s/t
Meter Records
Grade: A-

Admittedly when I first saw the name of the band I thought they were someone else. In that, the name sounds very familiar. Like the Daughters from Providence's power violence scene? No. The Daughters of the Confederacy? No. Are they that Scottish band that's been riding the Franz Ferdinand wave? No, that's Sons and Daughters. And though the band's name sounded familiar, I had less initial hope for the music. Yet, the six-song, twenty-eight minute EP has a right at home feel to it - something known but new and refreshing. And that is exactly what I was craving. The Sons of Daughters grew out of the disbanded Darrly's Grocery Bag in Alberta, Canada around 2003. DGB had carved out their own trail in Canada, but the trail was a bit wayward. So the Sons of Daughters come in armed with Todd Gesshe and Tyler Toews on guitar and vocals, Jeff Thompson on bass and vocals and Craig Florence on drums. It is hard to characterize the specific sound that the Sons of Daughters display on the EP, but one thing is certain the songs are well-crafted, thought out and dynamic enough to hold an ear. The EP starts on "Scripts and Stories" with an enticing 70s rock guitar riff before Gesshe comes in with his simple and plain but distinctive vocals. While you are waiting for the riff to come back, the guitars provide a toggle-switching AC/DC constancy. "Drop Me In the Well" comes next with all up-picking folk-rock abandon and stringing lyrical story. "Ann-Marie" opens with a light bass line that sounds like the introduction to an indie rock opus. And while it is, it is so much more as guitars trip harmonics and Ed Toews provides background violin. To pick up from the slow-down, Sons of Daughters offer more bluesy guitars on "Hotter Than Heaven." "Three Sheets" slows it down again with Andrea Matchullis adding vocals and pianos to the six-minute affair. The chorus to "Three Sheets" probably has the most top forty rock radio flair on the EP. Sons of Daughters end the record on a high note with "Tonight We Pray for Rain," another song echoing the song and lyrical craft of Neil Young. This is one of the best EPs I've heard in a long time and I'm counting the days until we have a full-length from this Canadian four-piece.