If the 60's were forty years ago (which, last time I check they were) someone forgot to tell The Black Hollies. This is a band so rooted in that period of time, you might actually think they were beamed in from that decade and forced to play songs for Beatles enthusiasts at gun point. This is not a bad thing. In fact, their sound is so authentic and just psychedelic enough they'll make you want to reach for their album Softy Towards The Light and listen to it backwards.
Being a huge fan of that decade, this is probably the most refreshing album I've heard all year. Far from the boring Brooklyn scene, and about as far away from electro as possible, The Black Hollies clearly are in love with songs that jangle, trip out, and are steeped in harmonies by the dozen. This is a band that clearly wasn't made for these times and we're fortunate enough that this band is even around. With a purely analogue approach and an overwhelming sense of classicism, The Black Hollies sound as if they recorded with George Martin at Abbey Road, cranked up the Vox Amplifiers and just went nuts.
Softy Towards The Light is absolutely brilliant stuff. From the speedy melodies of "Lead Me To Your Fire," to the Beach Boys in a sandbox ballad of, "Everything's Fine," this is like listening to the greatest team up of Paul Revere & The Raiders, Hermans Hermits, Brian Wilson and the Beatles ever recorded. It's hard to believe that Softy Towards The Light was actually recorded in 2009 but it was and it's something to be cherished because The Black Hollies are melodic masters of classic beat pop. Softy Towards The Light is the best album from 1967 released in 2009 and you can take that to the bank.
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