The New Law – High Noon

The New Law – High Noon

Aug 01

I am so glad when I run into an unknown artist – an “indie”, that “falls into my hands” purely accidental. You know the feeling, it’s like having a brand new toy

The New Law consists of Adam Straney and Justin Neff, two Americans. Without getting too in-detail about their musical style and its influences, I’ll just sum it up by saying that High Noon is a surprising album. Their sound seems ahead of their time, as the band tries a mix of drum’n’bass, jazz, breakbeat, and even hip-hop – these being just the main “flavours” I’ve managed to distinguish on the first listening.

It appears as the band is enjoying quite their share of success in the underground, judging by the number of concerts that they’ve been attending (most of them with one of my older “acquintances”, Bonobo) all over the world.

If someone would ask me what’s the one thing that’s brand new about this band’s music, I think that finding an answer would be awfully difficult for me. Frankly, it’s something we’ve all seen before, lacking a true revolutionary element. Nevertheless, the final result is surprisingly fresh – it’s like cooking: you can use the same ingredients as another cook and still come up with a far better cuisine than him.

Four songs appeal to me in an “serious-addiction” way: Hell’s Gates (which seems made for a full-size street march and sounds really addictive), Time Stands Still (a chillout song which fits into the genre’s every stereotype, but still manages to sounds extremely good) and the two jazz-influenced songs: Seattle Lights and Blue Horizon. Yeah, I know, It’s a vice – but I’m addicted to anything that even resembles jazz.

To sum it up – High Noon is, in my oppinion, an excellent “easy-listening” album. Playing it end-to-end at a relaxing time of the day will surely demand a second listening.