Artist: Colin L. Orchestra
Title: Infinite Ease/Good God
Label: Northern-Spy Records
Genre: Rock : Country
UPC: 884501481793
Territory: World
Release Date: 5.10.11

In the tradition of long strange trips across wide open spaces, the Colin L. Orchestra arrived at the offices of Northern-Spy Records via Colin Langenus’ previous project, USAISAMONSTER.  He’s exchanged his previous duo for a full-scale rock orchestra of his bestest buds on multiple guitars, drums, violins, keyboards.  Their first project, Infinite Ease/Good God, is full-scale indeed.  Though three years in the making, the tracks contained on the album flow as smoothly as an inner tube on a lazy stream on a Summer’s afternoon. Three years setting schemes and arranging sleeping dreams have culminated in two lush, flowing albums full of anthems and wee small moments.  From the supple bass line that opens, “You Need Sleep,” to crunches of guitar shred melting into velvet strings on their way to a country ditty that would do Graham Parsons proud.

The Colin L. Orchestra takes simple country melodies and twists them together with classic rock n’ roll guitar licks and harmonica jams in a medley that is inclusive of those genres, yet distinctly separate from them at the same time.  Just when you want to label a song as country it will turn into a Rock n’ Roll anthem featuring all the whistles and bells you would expect from a classic rock act.  Dirty guitar jams and radical instrumentation break the conventional boundaries that define genre and begin to illustrate a new and authentic musical style.  To say that Infinite Ease/Good God can be  defined by genre or placed into a specific musical category would be limiting to the actual properties that can be found when listening to the album.

Here is a double-pleasure that re-envisions the “jam band” and, at the same time, “indie rock,” meshing together minimalistic repetitive jams, bright melodies, and loose, easy-going vocals all in the sole service of aiding your bliss.