The Great American Midrange

The Elms sound like Big & Rich attempting John Fogerty. Distortion and excessive soloing seem to be included as a failed attempt to make up for pedestrian lyricism. The first track, “Strut” encourages the listener to Come on and strut your stuff. I threw up a little in my mouth when I heard the first chorus come around. I don’t know about you, but I only strut my stuff when I’m inebriated and sure to regret it intensely the next morning. Maybe I’m a curmudgeon, but this band honestly made me reconsider my stance on eugenics. It sounds like a lot of effort went into this record, so I hate to be the naysayer. But honestly, there is little redemptive quality here. The cover of the record states “The Great American Midrange by The Elms” as if we were dealing with the next great American novel. Trust me, this is genre fiction at best.