Rival Sons - Head Down

The third album in the Rival Sons catalog is another solid retro infused hard rock record. The songs this time around aren't quite as good as they were on the 2011 release Pressure & Time. The band retains most of the sound that got them noticed last year but have refined it a little too much taking away too much of that magical indie or garage band feel that made them a bit more special than the rest in this throwback genre. The very psychedelic sound of "Wild Animal" is one of the albums standout tracks and along with "All The War" and "Three Fingers" save this album from being a little forgettable to be honest.

The band really sounds like they rushed through the writing process and maybe even the recording process as well because the album just lacks the magic indigence to bring the entire package to life. The jam session titled "Manifest Destiny Part One" and "Manifest Destiny Part Two" the latter being more of a song than part one both are just not up to snuff my friends and unless your stoned and just grooving on the high you won't get much out either of these tracks.

In the end I really like this band, I hope for a better record come album number four. Should you pass on Head Down I think so but if you really want to have the collection complete then sure go ahead it won't be a complete waste of money.