Redstone Hall - Elephant [EP]

Redstone Hall - Elephant [EP]

2010, Redstone Hall

Los Angeles quartet Redstone Hall debut today with their debut EP, Elephant, a six-song effort ensconced in the sort of fuzzy 1960’s pop/rock that grew into the garage rock movement.  Steven Rothstein (vocals/keys/rhythm guitar); Zack Hall (guitar/vox); Mac Hadar (bass/vox) and Mike Nussbaum (drums) have developed a reputation for their jam-filled live shows as well as for a distinctive pop sensibility.  Redstone Hall opens a national tour to support Elephant in November of 2010.

Elephant opens with “Rain”, a splendid example of 1960’s pop/rock.  There’s some serious instrumental work going on behind the scenes here, and the songwriting’s none too shabby either.  “Allison” sounds like something Elvis Costello might have written if he’d started out in the 1960’s.  Even the messy garage-rock sound fails to disguise the distinct melodicism inherent in the song.  “Get Back Jack” is catchy; a decent turn before Redstone Hall launches into the Moody Blues-like “Ready Set Go”.  This classical/pop/new age blend is catchy synth pop, early 1970’s style, and has a melody you won’t be able to shake. “Cold Black Cloud” is soulful, repetitive and desperate.  This is one of those songs where a lot of good elements are involved but as a whole it doesn’t mesh well.  Elephant closes with “Oh, Celia”, a catchy bit of 1960’s-style folk/pop that seems likely to be licensed for the movies or television.  It’s a great close to the album, a catchy but somewhat refined pop tune with a life of its own.

Elephant displays a young band with serious intentions toward the future even while having roots firmly entrenched in the history of rock n roll.  Retro enough to cross generations but fresh enough to catch the ear of modern radio programmers, Redstone Hall has the tools to do big things.  There’s a primitive nature to the songs presented on Elephant, a quality that will bear out well live, yet serves here to give the album a live and un-retouched feel.  There’s a lot to like about Redstone Hall.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Redstone Hall at www.redstonehall.com or www.myspace.com/redstonehall.  Elephant is available digitally from Amazon.com or iTunes.