Your Black Star, Sound from the Ground

Your Black Star formed in 2001 in Louisville, Kentucky, home of well-known heroes Elliott, with whom the members of YBS toured extensively between 2000 and 2005 on the Louisville icons’ final hurrah. After Elliott dissolved, YBS decided to stay on the road on their own, hitting the Far East, Australia, and Europe, where they’ve established a strong following and critical acclaim. Their new album, Sound from the Ground, includes a bunch of everything that was good about rock music over the last 20 years. Depending where you start spinning the disc, you might hear early U2, The Cult, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden (or many other bands in the Seattle scene at that time), The Clash, or Radiohead. While “heavy,” YBS aren’t all dirge and dour. The opener, “Why Do I Wait,” directly pulls from early U2 in influence if not in vocal stylings. “The Gauze…” has a slightly Radiohead-ish sound in the verses, but without the glitch-pop wankery. “Rockets (Reserved)” might have been an early Cure throwaway, with a subdued chorus smashing into a huge arena chorus. Pretty powerful stuff.

YBS doesn’t blow you away with flashy playing or faux attitude. The songs are strong, hook-laden, and brash without being pretentious a là Oasis. One of the best I’ve heard in awhile; definitely one that grows on you.