photo by Harrison Searle; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Single Reviews of The Northern Line: “Lightning Strikes” and “Throw a Fist”

Boston’s The Northern Line is Bilvox (vocals), Mike Ackley (keyboards), Pete Zeigler (lead guitar), Joshh Magee (bass), and McG (drums, backing vocals – formerly of The Luxury, an old favorite band I reviewed many years ago). Or, I suppose, since they have a sort of British indie flavor to their music, I suppose I should say The Northern Line “are,” but while I let my British writers write in British English, I’m strictly an American English writer, so the band “is.”

art design by Bilvox; image courtesy of Knyvet

The last few weeks, I’ve been digging into a couple of The Northern Line’s catchy, rhythmically rocking singles; namely, “Lightning Strikes,” which was a fall release, and “Throw a Fist,” which dropped this spring.

“Lightning Strikes” won me over quickly with its crashing rock guitar opening and psychedelic organ early accompaniment. The song’s modestly-jerkily swaying tempo and keywork that occasionally mimics a distant siren suggest a ’70s-themed dance party, perhaps something Austin Powers might attend. Occasional, well-placed guitar riffs add to the song’s character, providing something of interest to a broad range of fans, putting the finishing touches on an interesting song with a nice beat, and you can dance to it.

Finally, and I just cant let this go even though it’s a bit self-indulgent, but there’s something about the way the lyric “bang the drum” is performed that makes me think of T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On).” To be fair, the songs aren’t that similar aside from being kind of jangly and having that similar line of lyric, but truly, I keep wanting to sing “bang a gong” whenever The Northern Line delivers that lyric.

art design by Bilvox; image courtesy of Knyvet

This spring, The Northern Line followed up “Lightning Strikes” with “Throw a Fist.” The newer single eases into its melody a bit slower, starting simply with a steady bass beat that thumps for a while, then joined by a little jangly guitar, stretching for about 40 seconds, making me think it’d be a favorite intro for DJs to talk over, rendering an off-air tape recording of it a lot less interesting. It’s one of those songs for which you’d have some radio personality’s banter as a permanent part of your mixtape. And that thought is completely in line with the song itself, which, stylistically speaking, naturally takes me back in time to the era of shag carpets and recording songs off the radio. The tempo of “Throw a Fist” is midtempo, so even though it suggests danceableness, it’s more of a slow fast-dance – too fast for a slow dance but not fast enough to engender more than simply swaying and maybe bouncing up and down a little as a dancing style. It’s not as if “Lightning Strikes” was faster; rather, there’s a cooler, more laid-back vibe on “Throw a Fist.” And as much as the song just kind of moves along as more of a tempo-driven song than a typically-structured, lyric-driven tune, there is a memorable lyric – or, at least, one that’s quickly familiar in the chorus, “memories of moments adorn the walls” – that ties the song together for the listener.

The Northern Line has a unique sound that’s hard to place on the music spectrum. If I had to place it, though, I’d say it’s British pop-rock influenced music with a bit of a throwback vibe. It’s music that’s cool, enjoyable to listen to, and more memorable than it perhaps initially seems, as it becomes quickly familiar, sporting a unique vibe that easily identifies the songs as The Northern Line originals.

photo by Harrison Searle; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Looking Ahead

You can catch The Northern Line live twice in the next week here in the Boston area, according to the “Live Shows” section of the band’s website. On Thursday, May 29th, The Northern Line will be on the bill at The Middle East with Lipsmear, Looking Glass War, and DJ Ben Sherman. Then, on Saturday, May 31st, you can catch the band performing during Malden Porchfest.