ASG, Win Us Over

Southern rock need not be ridden to compilation albums sold on TV in the wee hours of the night. ASG has got the goods and has pushed the genre enough to show real ingenuity. With their fourth album, Win Us Over, the band from North Carolina delivers tracks that will please both Skynyrd fans and prog-rock snobs alike.

The disc opens with “Right Death Before,” and immediately you know you’re in for a ride, with wailing harmonics, and drum skins that must be begging for forgiveness. Then there’s the vocals — unique tonal qualities and melodies that make you wonder why guitarist Jason Shi didn’t step up to the mic from the beginning (ASG was an instrumental band, looking for a vocalist, till Shi gave in). The tracks continue with more original riffs, entertaining guitar accompaniments, and beats to abuse your steering wheel to. “Coffee Depression Sunshine” is the first opportunity you’ll have to avoid a kick drum in your face; the chill mood of the track at first seems an oddball, but the lyrics create such haunting imagery that it feels worthy.

Ah, yes, the lyrics. If there’s anything that can be faulted on Win Us Over, it’s the lyrics. You’d be hard pressed to find a track that doesn’t include references to god, death, violence, or rebirth (sometimes all of the above). The bias towards metal-like lyrics doesn’t do the music justice for most of this disc, and I think we’ll see ASG sharpening their pencils soon, if they aren’t already. There are no exceptions to this theme, but there are exceptional moments; impressive and original unplugged sounds, marvelous harmonies, and time changes that make your head nod with approval, over and over again.

Despite the doom-and-gloom lyrics, you can see these guys are enjoying their work. The angels tracking their souls on the title track “Win Us Over” may very well be the kind with wings. ASG’s sound, however, tells me they’re the kind that ride Harleys. The disc concludes with “Bombs Away,” a tease at barely over two minutes, but the downtempo pace is a fitting end to the furiousness that precedes it.

The disc is a roller coaster ride through heaven, hell, disappointment, and redemption. Overall, it just fucking rocks.