North Lincoln Midwestern Blood (No Idea)

Invariably, once I find out where a band is from, I start wondering if I can compare them with other bands from the same region. And what I mean by that is that a lot of bands from Gainesville, FL sound similar in the same fashion as pop punk bands from the Bay Area sound the same. North Lincoln hails from Michigan…so my first thought was-do these guys sound like Small Brown Bike?  That was the first, and predominate, band from Michigan that sprang to mind; and I’m sure there are other great bands that I don’t know, and maybe some that I know and just don’t realize are from Michigan. You know what I mean? I don’t study into music and bands as much as I once did.

So, the question- directed at myself- was, do they sound like Small Brown Bike? And the answer is….kind of. North Lincoln definitely has the penchant for gruff thrashings of the SBB of old, balanced with the more melodic points of the band that pervaded their final days (i.e. The River Bed). But a one trick pony, North Lincoln is not; these guys have a lot of different textures and sounds going on, constantly changing and adapting. We have a saying in Ohio about our weather-“Don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes, it’ll change”. The same could be said about these guys, but on a miniscule scale. While there are slight changes in musical temperature from time to time; it’s nothing drastic.

Those changes often come in the midst of one track, with vocals flowing from softer melodic vocals to scathingly gruff enunciations. Midwestern Blood comes off sounding dirty yet dignified at the same time; like malt liquor being drank from a brandy snifter.  Just the knowledge of North Lincoln’s record label, No Idea Records, is enough to give you a pretty good indication of what this album sounds like. No Idea bands, for the most part, come with a set sound. Gruff, soulful punk rock; and these guys carry on in that tradition. You know this like you know that if you see Trustkill imprinted on the spine of an album… most likely,whiny metal played by dudes with eyeliner is contained within.

Not that it will take away from the listening experience of this album knowing that. North Lincoln share a similar sound with lots of their record label peers, but are far from Small Brown Bike clones and far from being a bunch of dudes trying to bite Hot Water Music’s sounds. As a reviewer, it’s my job to throw around all these comparisons and generic terms in an attempt to give the general feel of an album; and it’s your duty, as a reader and music lover, to either vindicate my appraisal or call bullshit on the whole thing. If Diatribe operated on a number scale to judge albums, I’d give this 8/10.