The Seventy Sevens inspire nostalgia. An early incarnation of the band was gleefully creating the landscape of alternative Christian music's future while most of today's hip stars and their fanbase were banging Legos and slobbering on pacifiers. Few bands that were categorized as valid alternative/modern rock options in the Eighties survived into the Nineties, not to mention this 21st Century. Among the handful of survivors were Daniel Amos, LSU, Adam Again, and The Choir. Today LSU and DA flirt with long bouts of hibernation, Adam Again is heartbreakingly no more, and only The Choir continues to enjoy a comparatively supportive and sometimes growing fanbase of younger listeners needed to help keep the bill collectors away. If The Choir was Christian music's sort of answer to bands like U2 (forgive the analogy to those old comparison charts), than the Seventy Sevens are the Led Zeppelin of Christian Rock (without the eastern mysticism, drugs, groupies and bad, greasy haircuts).
Although a number of comparisons and contrasts can be made of these five bands, one fact resounds for all of them: their success at longevity stems from a refusal to release the same albums over and over again. Reinventing themselves yet again for the 21st Century, the Seventy Sevens have released A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows (AGFORC).
A few fickle fans will boo hoo the Seventy Sevens for tweaking their sound again, but even a cursory look at the range of their back catalog suggests that the band always has. Although you'd think fans would have embraced this diversity by now, only some have, and love the band for it, while others have not. The latter usually poo poo the band for steering too far from the classic 77's sound, whatever they mean by that phrase, and end up missing out. Such will be the case for all those who don't embrace AGFORC, an album illuminating the shinier side of Roe's spiritual and relational conflicts for the masses.
Having said all that, despite putting a slightly new spin on their sound, AGFORC still finds the Seventy Sevens doing what they do best. The foundation in jazz, prog and blues rock is still amply evident, and the trademark guitar sounds, rhythms and Roe's vocal style haven't strayed far from past efforts. What Roe & Co. have accomplished, however, is a generally more accessible and straight-forward dance-step to their signature rock swagger. A little beefed up here, somewhat bleached out there, the consistency of their songwork still largely remains the same. Sporting the same lineup as Tom Tom Blues and the EP, the new album bears comparisons to those works and Mike Roe's solo albums Safe as Milk and Boat Ashore as well as moments fleetingly reminiscent of their entire body of work. Although this particular outing finds the Sevens twisting their tunes into brighter pop territory, they haven't become the Backstreet Boys.
On that note, Galaxy 21 Music is billing the 77's as "the only boy band that matters" and claims the new album is "scorching summertime rock and roll from the heroes of modern rock." A bit tongue in cheek, to be sure, yet with a ring of truth.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #89Reviewed by The Kern County KidIt was the "mean green season" at the St. Roe Motel, where hunters that craved the Northern woods jammed the logging trails and lodges for a 200 mile radius. It was a stressful time behind the motel office desk for Mark, a greasy introvert who never seemed to look visitors in the face. But all that changed the day that nun checked in. Her genuine smile did something to disarm all of his religious…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Michial FarmerIt usually takes me a few weeks to really get into a new 77s release, so I approach this review (and its deadline) with some trepidation. To add to my cautiousness, A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows is the band's first full-length album since 1995's disappointing Tom Tom Blues and, by all reports, is the poppiest, sunniest album they've ever done. This is a good thing, as I've always preferred…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Terry WandtkeThe new 77's album is out, and their fans rejoice. I can attest to that fact because I count myself and my friends among the highly selective but significant throng. And better than just being new material, A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows is really good stuff. With that said, I'll offer a little bit of context for this album and, hopefully, I won't be considered heretical when I explain why…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Tony LaFianzaThe 77s' long-awaited return comes with a mix of old and new sounds. Easily-recognizable song styles from the first few 77s records take a leap forward to the digital age of 2001. The band combines well-produced multi-layering effects with the returning treasure of Mike Roe's ringing guitars beneath his emotionally energized vocals. As always, Roe's guitar playing is the shining center of the 77s…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Alex KlagesThe last major release from the 77s was the album Tom Tom Blues. While a good album, it seemed to be missing some of the range of some of frontman Michael Roe's solo work (since The Boat Ashore had the same lineup as TTB, it seemed to fill the other end of the spectrum of Roe's playing). This new album blends the hard edge of the bluesy Tom Tom Blues with the more complex and interesting song…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Scotty TeemsIt is a rare feat when a band can actually become better with the loss of their best musician. But when lead guitarist David Leonhardt left the 77's after 1994's Drowning With Land in Sight, it forced founder and frontman, Michael Roe to take over all guitar duties for the band. The result has been a shedding of the fat, a rebirth of a once-bulky guitar rock band, now a slim, trim power-trio more…Similar sounding releases
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2004Fun With Sound
1992The Seventy Sevens
20008ighty 8ight / When Numbers Get Serious
2002Direct
1999Seventy Sevens EP
1995Tom Tom Blues
