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EP Review: The Northern Line – The Northern Line

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photo by Geoff Wilbur

EP Review of The Northern Line: The Northern Line

The Northern Line released its self-titled debut EP this year, following pre-release single releases of two of the EP’s four tracks. I reviewed those two tracks, “Lightning Strikes” and “Throw a Fist,” last year, so I’ll focus more on the record’s two new songs, “Let’s Roll On” and “Out in the Drift.”

The Northern Line is Bilvox (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Pete Kitchener (lead guitar), Mike Ackley (keyboards), Carrie Ingber (additional keyboards), Joshh Magee (bass), and McG (percussion, backing vocals). This tight outfit produces an original sound that draws heavily upon British indie influences. The band is already gaining accolades, nominated in the New Act of the Year category for this year’s New England Music Awards.

art design by Bilvox; image courtesy of Knyvet

The cohesive quartet of songs comprising The Northern Line’s eponymous EP begins with “Let’s Roll On.” The Northern Line’s rhythm section is key to the band’s funky Brit-alt-rock infused sound on this track. The nifty, distorted musical backdrop drives the song forward, but it’s the organ-style keyboardwork, guitar lines that dance through occasionally, and a vocal style that regularly slightly overemphasizes individual syllables in the course of a phrase to create a distinct sound that add the color that keeps your attention throughout. They all combine with an airier portion that’s primarily driven by guitarwork – not exactly a traditional solo, but rather a bluesy guitar run that interacts with the vocalist – to turn “Let’s Roll On” into a full musical meal rather than just an appetizer.

It is followed by “Lightning Strikes,” which I dove into in detail last year. Noisy rock ‘n roll in its own right, “Lightning…” does offer a little lighter musical density, for the most part, making it a distinctly different second entry on the record but still within the same musical palate. And damn, Kitchener’s guitarwork! This song wouldn’t work nearly as well without his cool riffs.

The Northern Line band photo

photo by Harrison Searle; photo courtesy of Knyvet

The third track is on the EP is “Out in the Drift,” a song with a little darker vibe than the rest of the disc. There’s kind of a bluesy-western twang in the guitarwork that, combined with some lyrically-relevant anguished wails by Bilvox from time to time, give “Out in the Drift” its own distinct sub-style. The song rises and falls in volume and energy a couple times to give it a sense of movement, but the volume increases toward the end, making it seem to gain intensity before a quite late fade.

The record ends with “Throw a Fist,” the thumping, somewhat laid-back rocker I dug into in great detail in last year’s review. But yeah, it’ll make sure you exit your listening experience bouncing a bit.

Combined, these four songs are a solid introduction the The Northern Line. And it’s a sound that translates well to live performance, as I can attest from catching the band’s set at this year’s Maynard Porchfest. So grab this EP; it’s got a groovy sound. And catch The Northern Line live if you can; they put on a great performance. In fact, if you’re in the Boston area, you can catch the official vinyl release concert for this EP at The Square Root in Roslindale on Friday, November 6th.

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

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The Northern Line band photo

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.”

The Northern Line – "Lightning Strikes" cover art

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.

The Northern Line – "Throw a Fist" cover art

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.

The Northern Line band photo

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.