Le Switch, a band name which is damn hard to say without affecting a bad French accent, has added another notch to a year whose belt is already full. The notches, in this case, count the bands who have released albums that, genuinely and without schmaltz, channel classic rock and pop tropes through a modern sounding release. And Now…Le Switch falls more on the side of head-bobbing Dr. Dog than reflective-nod-inducing Blitzen Trapper, but the results are immediately identifiable and repeatedly enjoyable.Read the whole review

The key here is flow. With albums like this, and especially with bands I’m not overly familiar – which most people won’t be on a debut LP – I prefer that the album is kept short. In this case, ten tracks is a perfect digestible portion. It allows the band, fronted by the dynamic Aaron Kyle, to get in, get out and leave a sweet aftertaste.

And it’s Kyle’s voice that serves as one of Le Switch’s biggest boons. He sings in a style that takes occasional flights into a grittier, yowling energy that is thrilling and when they do appear in songs like “Give Me Something,” their proto-Waitsian growl is an infusion and a rush. It’s the sound of someone abandoning self-consciousness and turning to sheer emotion and performance.

The loose-limbed feel of the album recalls a Basement Tapes type atmosphere. Fully integrated and fleshed out; an impressive feat for a band with only a prior EP under their belt and two years as a band. Available now via AD’s label Autumn Tone. words/j. neas

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