Desert Noises: 27 Ways

Desert Noises
27 Ways
(SQE Music)
3.5 out of 5 stars

There’s a moment on “Mice In the Kitchen,” the third track on Desert Noises’ 27 Ways, where the Utah-based band comes dangerously close to falling into the Mumford-Lumineers-Edward Sharpe earnest hootenanny trap. There’s a plucked banjo and a simple four-on-the-floor bass stomp, just the same as that of every song currently soundtracking a trailer to a feelgood summer coming-of-age flick. But after about 35 seconds, in comes a spindly bass groove, and another 25 seconds later, some gorgeously chiming guitar riffs. And like that, what seems on the verge of sounding too familiar — even cliché — flips on the listener to become something much more interesting.

It’s not that Desert Noises are all that complicated of a band. At heart, they’re a pretty simple rock ‘n’ roll band, having spent some quality time with the catalogs of Cheap Trick and Band of Horses alike. But the group has a knack for melody that keeps new album 27 Ways a fun, even interesting listen throughout. Tracks like “Grandma Looks” and “Out of My Head” are straightforward capital-R Rock raveups, while “Run Through the Woods” incorporates a different kind of desert noise, such as the type that a band like Queens of the Stone Age might kick up via heavy rhythms and dirty bass grooves. On the whole of 27 Ways, Desert Noises steer clear of mucking up their sound too much, leaving mostly fresh and fun songs with big hooks and lots of guitar. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll — but I like that.