It’s a simple, nasty thrill that gets all rock musicians started. It’s the thrill of owning the loudest toy on the playground and of being able to let it rumble whenever you want.
But just as the original feeling of delight starts to wear off, that’s also when most rockers lose their way. They need to face important questions. Are they going to please or torture with their newfound gift? Will they need to pursue even bigger thrills to give them the same results, or are they going to try and win the other kids on the playground to their cause?
Swedish rockers Greybeards have found the road that cuts right down the middle. “Out of the Red” is an EP of songs from a band that still gets a kick from getting loud, going fast, and wearing a leather jacket the whole way through.
But the EP is also the work of applied altruism. The singing is controlled, the guitars purr like a friendly tiger left in your living room, the lyrics are usually sweet, and the melodies are easily remembered.
Don’t believe me? Take the EP opener, “When the Levee Breaks,” as an example. No, this isn’t the work of a Swedish band trying to outmuscle Led Zeppelin. Nah, this brings to mind the radio-friendly alt-rock and emo of the late 90s and early 2000s.
But just as the bands that blended pop elements with rock n’ roll back in the 2000s, it’s important for Greybeards also to convince you of their musical chops. Take “Holy Ghosts,” a tune carved up to be a potential radio single. You’ll find yourself chanting the chorus. But listen to that intro and to the dynamics of the playing. This is a band that will want to wow you if you ever catch them playing live.
Still, at the core of this, “Out of the Red” knows what it wants to be – a pop-rock record that you can share with a friend or loved one unimpressed by aggressive rock music.
And it does this particularly well. “Remember Me” is a bittersweet Bon Jovi-like about carrying the best memories with you even through the hardest times. And the grungey riffs of “Charade” get settled by highly pleasing hooks and guitar solos.
Where does this leave us? Singing with the songs, hopefully. The final entry on the EP, the power ballad “All Those Yesterdays,” provides a good measure of what Greybeards is trying to achieve. This is pop-rock but with all the thrills of a guitar band designed to play in front of a stadium audience. Greybeards have made a choice, and the band is working to please its audience before serving its own rocking needs.
