4onthefloor

Wow, so I apologize for taking so long in between posts, but I guess everyone needs a vacation now and again. With summer officially starting, I felt the need to have a southern blues/rock band blow my mind, which is exactly what I found with 4onthefloor. They hail from Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is hardly southern, but managed to infuse many elements of southern blues and rock into their music (i.e slide guitar, etc.) While listening to them and writing my review, my roommate immediately noted that they sound a lot like ZZ Top, to which I agreed, but instead of having long beards as a gimmick, each member has a bass drum. When I asked them about the bass drums they simply responded "How else are we going to fight the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse? FOUR BASS DRUMS. These are end times." Touche, guys. They have only released 1 album so far entitled 4x4. When asking them about where they came up with the name for the album, they told me that it brings up a familiar biblical scene, Noah's Ark. They also said that there are 16 tracks on the album and 4 x 4 =16. Despite having only released one album, they have become massively popular, mostly due to their upbeat catchy music.

The lead singer has an awesome sounding voice perfectly suited for their style of music. He has a little trouble singing high, due to his deeper voice, but he usually substitutes the lack of high range by using a more gravelly voice, similar to what Kurt Cobain did in order to sing higher, which brings a different level of emotion to the songs. The guitarists do a great job with their moving lines and really make the music bluesy; which makes this band sound similar to ZZ Top. I also really like their chord progressions, sometimes pushing the envelope a little with things you wouldn't think would work initially but end up sounding great in the end. Mostly, I love that they keep things complex so that I am never bored when listening to them. However, from what I've heard of some of their solos, I haven't been particularly impressed, but practice makes perfect and they will definitely get there. I'm going to comment on the bass as the drums as a whole, because really truly in most bands they work together anyways. Honestly, neither of them seem to really stand out to me, aka they have yet to do anything to really impress me, but they have yet to do anything to disappoint me. They work together really well to help drive the music, and stay in the background so that the guitars, harmonic etc. get showcased. So I don't think it is an artifact of their style that neither have truly impressed me. Finally, I must say I love their gimmick: a bass drum per member member that spell out 4 on the floor is just really cool and I love that they wail on them during live performances.

4onthefloor has a really great live sound. In fact, I may actually like their live sound better than their studio sound (not to detract from their studio sound by any means) but this band brings it when they are live. But per usual, one of the great things about going to a live show is seeing the show. I do wish they overall would try to move around a little more. The lead singer does a solid job, and I understand that it is difficult because they are all playing bass drums, but they could put on a little more show and just look like they are having more fun up there; because if they are having fun, generally the audience is having fun as well, and that really is the whole point of a live show. That isn't to say that I wouldn't see them live, because I would love to have them come to The National in Richmond, VA (hint, hint guys) because I do think it would be an awesome show regardless.

Unfortunately, we have come to the end of another post, but at least this means you guys finally get to see the grade. I think this band is very talented and they have an awesome gimmick. More importantly, I think that they play really great music and have a magnificent live, as well as studio, sound and are just a ton of fun to listen to. But, as I said they could work on a few things: their live energy as well as their soloing, so I can't give them full marks even though I wish I could. I still think that overall they are an awesome band so I have to give them an 8.5/10 so you guys NEED to check them out: like them, Follow them http://www.myspace.com/the4onthefloor, http://www.4otf.com/. BUY THEIR ALBUM, using this link 4x4, or by clicking under the Band CD's and Downloads tab on the right.

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