Water Tower plays out their album title by flying around genres, while still being grounded in roots.
What can you expect from a guy who shares his love for bluegrass/folk and all things psych/punk/shoegaze at the same time? Probably whatever comes to his (and his collaborators) at the time. Los Angeles artist Kenny Feinstein is one of those guys, and Water Tower is his band, and ‘Fly Around’ seems to be quite a fitting title for this album.
Actually, Feinstein and the band started out as Water Tower Bucket Boys, a moniker that probably suits that folk/bluegrass part more than the others. But then, at some point, he was left without a band, so he decided to do a cover of My Bloody Valentine’s seminal ‘Loveless’ album (‘Loveless: Hurts To Love,’ 2013)!
Well, then Feinstein re-grouped, and with ‘Fly Around’ it is more back-to roots stuff. More or less. And that’s how the things start out here, with ‘Fromage’ and the title track sounding like it is going to be a folk/bluegrass affair all-around.
But then, Feinstein and the crew start switching gears one by one. ‘Bobcats’ which follows sounding like early Eagles having help from a few members of The Beach Boys, ‘Come Down Easy’ as punks in a mild mood playing the blues, and ‘Town’ as Jackson Browne in his country mood. And if the title ‘Mile High club’ sounds like some sort of wordplay on ‘Eight Miles High,’ it just as well might be for this, psyched-out electronics-tinged instrumental.
And then we’re back through the list, and you can pick up on some more stuff as ‘Fly Around’ does exactly that – flies around. But, with all the shifting of gears, the key lies in the fact that Feinstein and his Water Tower, certainly hold the water, or fly around with ease, if you will. Surprisingly good.
