Chicago-based blues rock band Rosetta West has crafted a sound that blends gritty, old-school blues with experimental elements drawn from psychedelia and world folk over several years. Their new single, “Town Of Tomorrow”, taken from the album “God of the Dead,” is a stark example of the creative output and audacious blend of genres that we can expect from them in the future.
“Town Of Tomorrow” sets the tone immediately that Rosetta West is not playing it safe here. The propulsive track swirls around the commanding vocals of Joseph Demagore, who also punctuates the song with expressive harmonica work, as the band navigates a soundscape that’s somehow deeply rooted in the blues tradition and tantalizingly futuristic. The intense closing crescendo to the solo section is incredible in and of itself, demonstrating the ability for technical and emotional content to blend in their overall sound.
The song is driven by Mike Weaver’s brutal drumming, with Orpheus Jones adding a hypnotic bottom end on bass. The three of them together create a sound that is as complex as it is visceral, a characteristically Rosetta West mix that longstanding fans will recognize immediately, yet sound new and adventurous. Rosetta West has led a fiercely independent career, typically releasing music in unconventional formats and spaces, whether on Bandcamp, YouTube, or even on haunted shipwrecks and graveyards. This dedication to artistic freedom has led to a legion of fans around the world, and “Town Of Tomorrow” is just another chapter in this unconventional journey.
“Town Of Tomorrow” continues to address the band’s perpetual interest in mysticism and religion. The track sounds like a vision of the future, but filtered through a blues-rock prism, covering ideas of progress, doubt, and mortality in a manner that is distinctly alien, yet somehow familiar. This thematic intrigue, combined with the group’s unusual instrumentation and songcraft, makes the song a standout from standard 21st-century blues rock fare. To those who love hard blues rock with a slightly psychedelic and mystical touch, “Town Of Tomorrow” is an experience. Rosetta West once again shows why they are blues masters, not only pushing the envelope of blues but with a feel and expression that is deeply emotional.
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