Megaforce

The music slips in through a weathered hourglass, neither promising, nor denying that one is about to go on an adventure. Nonetheless, Truth & Salvage Co. lands in present day, beat and experienced, but appearing to have a spark to ignite a fascinating new flame. One can hear a sextet, with four solid songwriter/vocalists, crafting a partnership that just may stand the test of time with some more of this here California bliss by way of the south and Midwest. Produced by the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, the album is colored with that sweet smoke-and-stoned mirrors vibe, which penetrates with a healthy dose of Chicago blues, Detroit soul, Nashville country, and everywhere hippie.

And the band is already starting to sow the seeds of their own legend with its odd combination of The Band, Gram Parsons, CSN, Wallflowers, and the Flaming Lips drifting through their sharp-eared window. Truth & Salvage Co. features vocalist/guitarist Scott Kinnebrew, vocalist/guitarist Tim Jones, vocalist/drummer Bill “Smitty” Smith, vocalist/keyboardist Walker Young, bassist Joe Edel and keyboardist Adam Grace. On their debut album, a sense of purpose (“Hail Hail”), love (“Heart Like a Wheel” and “She Really Does It for Me”) and heartbreak (the Dylanesque “See Her”), rings true, shaping their various influences into something quite new and penetrating.

The wild embrace of a sweet woman is also pondered amongst the tales of a long odyssey drifting through the Carolina rain (the beautiful curling, spiraling, and tumbling down upon all y’all within the ruminative strands of “101”), while gliding along on minimalist joy (“Jump the Ship”), singing about family with warm yet weary country-infused spirit (“Brothers, Sons, & Daughters”). Eventually, finally, at journey’s end, homeward bound on a sublime combination of Americana barbershop, upstate New York folk, Southern gospel, and everything sweet and pure (“Pure Mountain Angel”), one can hear all of the disparate pieces of their collective audio puzzle fall into a focused place.

These crazy fuckers can write, sing, and bring the party. They also carry a load of loot from yesteryear’s bag, but nothing sounds too derivative, or ripped off. Instead, one is left with four quality songwriters in a six-member band with a singular vision of hope, occasionally shedding light into the dark interiors of one’s life. Truth & Salvage Co. has a hell of lot of soul with its heart clearly on the sleeve of its ragtag hippie-worn shirt. Take note: no bummers here.