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Always Almost — God Pounds His Nails
(Pleasant Green PLGR002, 1996, CD)

by Dan Casey, Published 1998-07-01

God Pounds His Nails Cover art

This thing sure came out in a hurry. Formerly known as Still, and also known as three-fifths of the American 90s landmark Echolyn, God Pounds His Fist is a quick but important step beyond Still's debut album Always Almost. The names got you all confused yet? If you are familiar with these guys, then you need no introduction anyways. If not, then listen up. While the first album was built on a solid foundation of symphonic grunge rock (e.g. Soundgarden) mixed with a ton of 70s classic rock (e.g. Zeppelin, Sabbath), God Pounds is structured around a much broader and varied set of influences. And, although some of you are really going to be disappointed about this, it's a heck of a lot more straightforward and pop-structured with the emphasis on vocal melody and harmony more than any other element. Some of the aforementioned broad influences include things like late era Beatles, 70s R&B and Steely Dan, Paul McCartney circa 1985 or so, and even Depression-era jazz. Echolyn die-hards should not despair, because even though this album is probably less progressive than its precursor, there one or two passages that are more Echolyn than Echolyn themselves. Check out the second half of "While I Was Away" and see for yourself.  Several guests appear, the most notable being Volaré's Pat Strawser, who joins the band for a live-in-the-studio cover of Gentle Giant's classic "Aspirations" to close out the album with a surprising improv jam. While the tune is great in itself, I can't help but feel it was added at the end to almost apologize for the lack of other prog elements on the album. But there's no apology necessary, because this album shows a ton of growth, the establishment of a more unique identity, and some very strong vocals. If you are struggling to find an album of lyrically-driven tunes that is both fresh and accessible, then look no further. This is the one. Congrats Brett, Ray, and Paul.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 15, 1996 releases

Related artist(s): Always Almost / Still, Pat Strawser

 

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