The Drunken Hearts: Live For Today

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Words By J-man

From the first few notes of the self-titled track "Live For Today," the listener is sucked into the sonic world of Andrew McConathy's musical vision and Tim Carbone's (Railroad Earth) masterful production. Andrew's voice powers through the ambient instrumentation with clear resemblances to Eddie Vedder's sound or the candor of Johnny Cash. The message is clear, "Live For Today," and who could argue with that? Driven by a poetic approach, songs like "Goes To Show," "Make It Out Ahead" and "Don't Go" reflect the On The Road theme. Even more clearly with "Dean Moriarty's Blues," and the chorus "I wonder if I'll ever make it home again," McConathy leans on cultural icon Jack Kerouac.

Welcoming guests like Tim Carbone, Scott Law, Chris Misner, James Thomas, Kyle James Hauser, Stephen Kerlinger & Damian Calcagne further elevates the complete sonic sound of the album with a heavy volume of additional instruments and influences. Where as many albums take a few spins to get hooked, Live For Today captivates the listener and tells a story upon first listen. Much like a page turning novel, McConathy's songs seduce the mind, causing the listener to play the album straight through. In this time of mediocrity in music and diluted messages/themes, "Live For Today" is a perfect storm of metaphors, well constructed compositions and timeless music.

*After having the album out of it's sleeve for only a couple of hours, I have listened to the album now three times through...

Head over to www.yarmonymusic.com for more information on The Drunken Hearts.

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