MezzRow is a South Jersey band that sounds more like Liverpool meets Nashville than Asbury Park, and their eponymous debut album is a treat. Coming up with some analogues for this band is a bit tough since they do an expert job of melding all their influences; "Brit pop meets Americana" as it says on their CD Baby page, and I hear a bit of everything from Steve Earle at one end of the spectrum to The Verve on the other end. Maybe I can best explain their sound in the context of Marah, who hails from the same general area: it's kind of like the songs from Float Away With The Friday Night Gods with the production values of Kids In Philly, minus the Springsteen worship.
The album starts off with a bang; the first three tracks "Blue & Red", "Pictures" and "Tear" are an impressive an introduction as any, and "Embassy Stairs" is where the Marah comparison really hits home. You can stream the first three, along with "Got Me All Wrong", at their myspace page. No mp3s I could find, so CD Baby is your best bet for the remaining samples and purchasing. These guys are only in their early 20s, and with a promising debut like this already on record, it'll be interesting to see where they go from here.
UPDATE: Somehow I missed the fact that Smash Palace's Stephen Butler produced this disc, as well having a hand in co-writing and playing on some of the tracks here. That'll teach me to pay attention to liner notes more often.
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