There is no stopping Daniel Romano and his Outfit. They tour relentlessly, record constantly, and show absolutely no signs of fatigue. Preservers of the Pearl is their latest steamrolling rock ‘n’ roll statement, and it arrives with the kind of mystical grandeur its title suggests. Fourteen songs, 45 minutes, zero filler. When the digging is this good and this rewarding, who’s complaining?
Romano and his three bandoleros Tommy Major, Carson McHone, and Ian Romano have created something that hits you in the gut and rewards you on a more cerebral level. The addition of organ, violin, and trumpet adds layers of joy to an already rich sound. There’s a theatrical grandness to this record (and their live shows) that should fill stadiums but feels even more kickass in small, sweaty venues across the globe. Outfit know how to command a room, whether it seats 200 or 20,000.
Preservers of the Pearl is the kind of record that, once you’ve finished the instrumental warm-up Preservers Theme, you’ll want to play front-to-back. The sequencing is immaculate: opening with exciting rockers Unseeable Root and Harmless, then offering a breather with the perhaps slower-paced but stunningly rich and suspenseful The One/The Many. It’s followed by the quick and dirty Firebreather, which was already part of their live set last year and sounds just as exhilerating on record. This is a band where every member gets their moment to shine (Major on Firebreather, McHone on Cardinal Star, Ian Romano on Abstract Stone, and so on. Nobody’s just holding down the fort here. Everyone’s playing like they mean it.
I kinda feel bad for the people packing into tribute band shows, completely unaware there’s a surge of throwback rock ‘n’ roll right now that’s absolute fire. From Sheer Mag to Music City, from Uni Boys to Lemon Twigs (who both have new records coming out), and don’t sleep on that new Josephine Network LP that also dropped this week. We’re in the midst of a new golden age of real rock ‘n’ roll, which somehow makes tribute bands even more depressing.
Play this record (buy it at You’ve Changed Records). And, go see this band live if they’re within traveling distance. You won’t regret it.