After a few years of tireless touring across the country off several single and EP releases, Grizfolk’s full-length debut is finally here. 2016 is bound to be a big year for the L.A.-based alt.-rockers, and Waking Up the Giants is only the first step in getting there.
Waking Up the Giants starts strong, beginning with a blast of electronics layered throughout the entirety of “Into the Barrens,” which sets the pace for the rest of the record. In addition to the solid opener, “Troublemaker” keeps things going, but this time around with a driving guitar line, making for a near-perfect mix of electronics with the newly-present rock sound. While “Hymnals” follows suit with a fast and pulsing feel, “The Struggle” makes its case for album highlight. Somehow the L.A. natives are able to seamlessly blend fun pop with a powerful rock foundation underneath it. They change things up a bit with “Bob Marley,” which feels like an old Western in some ways (the guitar style) and more modernized in others (the added keys leading up to each chorus), with the subtle bassline holding everything together. The melodic title track boasts a foot-tapping beat which transforms into a stomper during the half-time chorus.
Nothing in particular stands out about “Waiting for You” or “Vagabonds,” although the soaring vocals at the end of “Vagabonds” are worth mentioning. Despite lacking a certain staying power, both tracks sound like they would fit in well on alternative radio if ever released as singles. “Bounty On My Head” changes things up once again, this time with more of a country music influence, which can be attributed to the greater prominence of acoustic guitar, and a notably more twangy vocal feel from frontman Adam Roth. “Cosmic Angel” showcases more powerful vocals, and together with “Bohemian Bird” makes for a decent 1-2 punch, with the latter feeling more like an album closer than any other track from the record. The true closer, however, is “Wide Awake,” which finishes things off on a significantly brighter note. Here, the upbeat feel returns one last time, following in a similar vein to the way Waking Up the Giants began.
My main gripe with the debut from Grizfolk is that the songs from the first half of the record far surpass those from the second half in terms of quality and overall staying power. There are a couple of good songs from the album’s latter portion, but the majority of them are simply “not bad,” resulting in a letdown after the record got off to such a great start. This discrepancy in quality isn’t enough to mar Waking Up the Giants, but it is enough to hinder the release from being great holistically.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIQ3x5fKJ8I[/youtube]
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