Communist Daughter: Soundtrack to the End

Communist Daughter: Soundtrack to the End
Minneapolis band Communist Daughter released their debut album Soundtrack to the End via Grain Belt Records this past Tuesday, April 6th. The Midwest band play a country rock, folk rock, southern rock mix of music. Another way to describe them would be to say Johnny Cash, The Beach Boys, and Kings of Leon all got together and mixed it up. And various points in the album they tend to pull more toward one of those descriptions. But at times you can hear a bit of an intermingling.
Johnny Solomon’s lyrics do an excellent job of telling stories. “Not the Kid” is a bit of a ballad to one’s days of youth, explaining all the silly things that one does as a child while reminding that he’s no longer the kid that you remember. “Oceans” tells a story of heartache, or as Solomon puts it, a heart buried at the bottom of the sea. And “Speed of Sound” is a tale of someone who has been too long in the same place and cannot wait to get out.
All the while, harmonies are used to soothe the listener. They’re by no means a regular country act, but their songs do tell some sad and lonesome tales. Trade in the stories of pickup trucks, dogs, and firearms, and you’re left with stories of modern lonesomeness amidst the crowds of cities and towns as opposed to the solitude of open wilderness. Sometimes Soundtrack to the End moves you, as in wanting to dance. Other times it moves you emotionally. But it will surely move you. Soundtrack to the End certainly can serve as a soundtrack, just not so much to the end. Its definitely an ushering in of a new beginning, with hopefully more bright spots than the Northern Lights that Solomon sings about illuminating the dashboard through his windshield.
Rating: 7.2/10
MP3: Communist Daughter “The Lady is an Artist”
Buy: iTunes