ACL Fest 2015 Saturday Record Review
Alabama Shakes, Thunderbitch
Sound & Color, and Thunderbitch (ATO)
Reviewed by Thomas Fawcett, Fri., Oct. 2, 2015
Alabama Shakes
Sound & Color (ATO)Thunderbitch
Alabama Shakes rolled into SXSW 2012 and an attendant ACL TV taping riding a tsunami of Janis Joplin comparisons for singer Brittany Howard, without the benefit of a full-length LP. The Athens, Ga., quartet cut a nostalgia-tinged mix of blues, soul, and swamp rock, and the easy move would've been to continue down that tried and true path. Sophomore triumph Sound & Color aims higher. The title track opens the album with a warbling vibraphone, layered with unhurried drums and a symphony of strings as Howard's first words proclaim, "A new world hangs outside the window, beautiful and strange." "Future People" slow burns a celestial psych-funk groove, while "Dunes" updates classic Southern rock. "The Greatest" is no-frills rock & roll, and the clearest bridge to Howard's side project, Thunderbitch. The eponymous debut is pure punk, wherein song titles serve as mission statement: "I Just Wanna Rock n Roll" and "I Don't Care." (6:20pm, Honda stage)
(Sound & Color) 
(Thunderbitch)
