OK, so for some reason I have spoken with about 20 of you here in Milwaukee at bars and at shows over the past couple months who said that you had never heard of this album, and I told you I would now have to give it a review on OKR… so here ya go!!
Daniel Romano’s Outfit has engineered a relentless surge of raw, unfiltered musical energy with their thrilling album, ‘Preservers of The Pearl‘. Tracked entirely to analogue tape without a single computer in sight, the record feels less like a sterile studio product and more like a high-octane rock show happening right in your living room. The energetic interplay among the band members creates a wild, fast-paced atmosphere in which the songs crash into one another with barely any room to breathe. It is a loud, incredibly joyful, and refreshingly unpolished experience that proves rock and roll is at its best when it is played straight from the floor with maximum attitude.
Among the absolute highlights of the tracklist is the blistering opener, “Autopoiet“. This song kicks the front door open with a frantic, country-tinged folk rock melody that immediately showcases the band’s signature, dizzying tempo. The vocal chemistry between Daniel Romano and Carson McHone is front and center here, locking together so perfectly that you will find yourself trying to sing along even as the music rushes past at breakneck speed. It is a hilarious amount of fun and serves as the perfect blueprint for the beautifully chaotic ride the rest of the album promises, especially when they drop cool, mind-bending lines like, “We self-reflect, In the salience that we connect, And pursue, It’s true that I’m you.”
The momentum keeps surging forward with another major standout, “Cardinal Star”, which doubles down on the band’s relentless drive. This track features an unstoppable groove and a fantastic guitar arrangement that keeps the energy levels pinned to the redline from start to finish, channeling what the band describes as the pure “qualia of the soul” through heavy, raw rock delivery. Following closely in brilliance is the addictive rhythm of “Phantasy” (originally titled Growing Phantasy), a song that brilliantly highlights the band’s tight, hyper-focused instrumentation, and let’s not forget those killer harmonies and explosive guitars. Together, these tracks solidify ‘Preservers of The Pearl‘ as a must-listen release for anyone who prefers their rock music to be fiercely authentic, wonderfully rowdy, and if you just love to fuckin’ rock! This band is amazing… just pick this album up already and GO SEE THEM LIVE when they are in town!
Links of interest:
https://www.instagram.com/danielromano_official/
https://danielromano.bandcamp.com/album/preservers-of-the-pearl
https://youvechangedrecords.com/product/outfit-preservers-of-the-pearl/