The third studio album from Portland group Weinland finds lead singer Adam Shearer and company further steeped in the vintage folk sound they're known for, but this time they're packing a rock-and-roll punch.
The cast of characters in Weinland provide a myriad of instrumentation, including organ and Dobro. Along with full band harmonies, Los Processaur stands in stark contrast to the hushed folk of Wienland's previous work. Songs are fun and provide the perfect soundtrack for speeding through backwoods highways with your friends.
Los Processaur opens with the hopeful track "Bones Cracking In." The song blends saloon piano playing with down-and-dirty Americana guitar pickin' in a reflective piece that sets the tone for the entire album. From there, Los Processaur maintains the personal touch of Shearer's storytelling with songs that peer into the past and look to future in search of answers. The record is beautiful and gnarly.
The third track, "Holy Rose," is a straight up rock-and-roll song in which Shearer digs in with his gritty vocal chops while organ and guitar wail back and forth, almost talking to each other during Shearer's lament. The album quiets down for the flirty "Way Too Soon," as well as the quaint "Yessie Yames," before returning to the power play, "Another Dollar Rainy Day."
But the true gem on Los Processaur is actually its final track, "The Eagle."
Saloon-styled ivories return, along with mandolin and aggressive harmonies, to form a raucous old-timey tune that even features the term "knickers." The song sounds as if every instrument was live tracked together in a single take. And, based on Shearer's opening statement that it is "take fourteen," they may have been.
Overall, Los Processaur gives fans of Wienland a new way to experience the band. It's a sharp rock album bookended by industrious Americana tracks that move the band further from dark folk and closer to light.
This is their best album to date.
