(2021) Andrew Leahey & The Homestead - American Static, Vol. 1


Review:
Nashville rockers Andrew Leahey & the Homestead kick off an ambitious double-album project with the punchy and wide-ranging American Static, Vol. 1. Although still rooted in the heartland rock of Leahey’s earlier outings, he continues to lean more heavily into his pop influences, expanding on the classic FM romanticism of 2019’s excellent Airwaves. Universal themes of romance, heartbreak, and breaking free are delivered with the unabashed sincerity and nostalgia that are some of Leahey’s greatest assets. Perhaps it’s the years spent living in a city populated by songwriters, but his combination of forthright storytelling and clever wordplay usually strikes just the right balance. Likewise, his obvious affection for myriad strains of vintage rock & roll results in a deep musical vocabulary that affects every song from the ground up. From the urgency of powerhouse opener “Shadows That Still Stretch” to the bittersweet piano pop balladry of closer “My Avalanche,” Leahey’s music is filled with the kind of creative decisions and pleasing hat-tips that signify an obsessive rock scholar. More importantly, his is no elitist club; he stays true to himself while deftly playing to the cheap seats just like the FM rock he grew up loving. The excellent “Somewhere Between” blends chiming mid-’70s Aerosmith grandeur with a melodic Beach Boys sweetness, while the evocative midtempo “Missing the Missing” recalls the satisfying introspection of Don Henley’s ’80s gem “Boys of Summer.” Influences aside, Leahey remains his own man whose career has had its own formative twists, turns, and dramas. All of this comes out in his music, most prominently in the warmth of his character and seemingly unbreakable spirit of optimism. He’s also a hell of a guitarist, which is another of American Static’s more appealing attributes. That he and the band already have a second volume in the can is cause for some anticipation.





Track Listing:
1. Shadows That Still Stretch 5:00
2. Become the Enemy 3:08
3. Keep the Car Running 3:20
4. Somewhere Between 3:38
5. Good at Gone 3:21
6. Guilty Man 3:13
7. Missing the Missing 4:51
8. Disco Ball 3:42
9. My Avalanche 4:03


Media Report:
Genre: rock
Country: USA
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits