The Fossil Record -- NBT, 1-15-09

The Fossil Record

The Fossil Record kicked the evening off with a jammy, alt-country sound. Think southern rock without the rednecks. The band members danced a little as singer Chris Compton sang the words to “Crooked Creek”, veins standing out in his neck. It sounds intense, but it really didn’t clash with the jangle-twang of the guitars or with keyboardist Ashleigh Moore’s honky-tonk affectations. The first half of the set proceeded in similar fashion, with a little bottleneck slide flavoring from guitarist James Beresford. I loved the energy and enthusiasm of bassist Casey Hammett, who appeared to be having the time of his life – even though, as he told the audience, he’d been playing shows at the Tavern “for at least a dozen years.” Casey took over the lead vocals to sing “Alone”, a song he penned.

"I would almost say the band should be a trio based on those songs, but then came the swinging, Wild-West 'Wallpaper Flowers.'”

The driving feel and guitar effects of “Alone” marked a transition for the second half of the set, which took on a moodier, alternative rock flavor with “100 Atmospheres” and “Born This Way.” The latter ended with a foot-stomping, uptempo coda that reminded me of Weird Al’s “Alternative Polka.” It definitely got some toes tapping among the early evening Tavern crowd, which was surprisingly large.

These two songs provided an interesting shift in texture, but sadly keyboardist Moore seemed to disappear during these songs. Second guitarist Beresford was not as noticeable either. I would almost say the band should be a trio based on those songs, but then came the swinging, Wild-West “Wallpaper Flowers.” The audience clapped along in rhythm as the band brought the set to a close.

The Fossil Record is definitely in its element when it does alt-country. The alt-rock songs are nice, but they don’t play to all the band’s strengths. Compton’s passionate vocals and inventive melodies, along with Hammett’s energy, are definitely the band’s core. However, TFR is not reaching its full potential when Beresford and Moore are just standing by, listening to Compton croon. Either find roles for them in the moody stuff, or just go three-piece. (To be fair to TFR, I only saw them play six songs. Quite possibly, those six are not representative of their full artistic vision, which is so often the case with short setlists and crowded playbills.)

One more note: the band’s name confuses me a bit. “Fossil record” brings to my mind images of science, Darwinism, evolution. The band’s sound gives me images of Americana, dusty roads, southern roots. I couldn’t make out many of the lyrics (chalk that up to NBT acoustics), but something about the band’s name did not seem to match their sound/image.

Setlist:
Crooked Creek
Body Armor
Alone
100 Atmospheres
Born This Way
Wallpaper Flowers

For More Info, visit: myspace.com/thefossilrecords