The 71's - We Are The Seventy Ones

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The 71s – We Are TheSeventy Ones
2012, The 71s MusicAnthem rock is back. So declare The 71’s, a melodic power quartet from Houston Texas that isintent on breaking out or breaking something, and soon. The 71’s, known in andaround Houston as a group of down to earth guys, write and play with apretension to greatness that is reminiscent of the best of the progressive rockera.  This is accomplished with ablending of classic rock, punk, glam and even a bit of grunge.  All of this comes together on The 71’s recentrelease, We Are The Seventy Ones.  The album is not only a declaration ofmusical independence, but also charts out the course for what might be a longand glorious career.

The 71’s came to musical fruition at the inspiration of suchbands as Pearl Jam, Foo Fighers and Oasis, which might explain theirwide-ranging musical palette. Comparisons of late have referenced Band Of Skulls, but honestly this isone case where such pigeonholing tends to sell a band short.  We AreThe Seventy Ones reveals a band that has found their musical footing.  And even if, as I suspect, they haven’t fullysettled on which path they are going to follow yet, they’ve yet to findanything that they can’t play well.  Thealbum kicks off with a noisy, 1980’s hard pop number in the form of “Blue Blood”.  The 71’s add in a bit of punker sensibilityhere and end up with a sound reminiscent of early 90’s rockers The Men.

“Confession” builds on a bluesy guitar lick, driving forth in a wanton andvibrant rocker that you will have a hard time getting out of your head.  Interestingly enough, vocalist Keeton Coffmansounds a bit like a young Corey Hart here (think “Sunglasses At Night”).  The 71’s open the jets for “Waves”, awide-open rocker that seems destined to be played in stadia the worldover.  The 71’s keep the energy high andthe melodic content higher throughout.  “Adeline”is a vibrant rocker with its own inertia. You may find that you simply must dance when this love song for amiddle-aged rocker plays.

The 71’s show they can do balladry as well as arena rock on “10,000”miles.  This is the fairly typical on theroad love song, where the singer pines about getting back home to hisbaby.  In that regard it’s hard to viewthe song as being a bit cliché, but the melody is fine and Coffman sings fromthe heart, and the song is held together by a very solid, memorablechorus.  “Taken” explores theafter-effects of a relationship that’s gone bad.  The song is well-written, and if Coffman’svocal line is a bit overly-dramatic at times it’s just a small slip given thesubject matter.  “Victimology” as a songis more of a vehicle for slinging around a six-string guitar than anythingelse.  The 71’s sound iconoclastic here,reminding listeners that rock and roll is meant to be fun sometimes too.  The pure chutzpah of guitarist Ryan Cecil isentertaining.“Much Too Much” starts from a great premise, and keepsintact the urgent feel that seems to run throughout the album.  Coffman uses a lot of falsetto here, a choicethat appears to not work out quite as well as he might have hoped.  On the plus side, this is the only song on thealbum I’d be tempted to skip if listening just for enjoyment.  “Lucky To Lose” is a solid, working-classrocker that is guitar-driven and full of a vibrant energy that’s impossible toignore.  This would be a great tune tocheck out live onstage.  “Heaven” bringsall of the components together, bringing a sense of compositional organizationand polish that is hinted at throughout the album.  The melody is memorable, driven by anintriguing hook that replays in your head. The coolest thing about the song is it could be a conversation between ason and his father, or it could be a prayer. It’s never entirely clear but works well under either premise.  The polish sticks around for “Monsters”, yetThe 71’s accomplish this sense of polish without letting go of the rock androll edge that has driven them this far. This is an exceedingly ear-pleasing tune that has single written allover it.

One of the things that make The 71’s so fun to listen to isthat they are constantly skating on the edge of disaster.  There is a point of risk taking in music thatmany artists simply skate around.  The 71’sdon’t skate; they march right up to the line and take chances.  As with all such efforts, sometimes they falland fall hard.  But the pure chutzpah ofthe band, blended with their individual and collective talents, means that moreoften than not something intriguing, inspiring or even beautiful comes out ofthe process.  That’s the story behind thestory of We Are The 71’s.  The 71’s will have you from hello.Rating: 4 Stars(Out of 5)

Learn more at www.the71s.com.