Opening with the smooth soul of blood from a stone, Ozone Park, the latest album from Hollis Brown, sees the band recording with the same line up as a previous outing (3 shots) for the first time in the band’s history. This brings with it a newfound sense of confidence which shines through in a selection of songs that hark back to a simpler time, drawing the listener away from the media-savaged existence of modern era. Tracked by producer Adam Landry, Ozone Park is a beautifully recorded record that laps around the listener like a warm bath, the interplay between the guitars of Mike Montali and Jonathan Bonilla a delight to behold.
It is Adam Bock’s keys that open the album, soon nailed by Andrew Zehnal’s funky beat. The guitars, played with an Alomar sting, allow the song to breathe as the energy levels steadily increase towards the song’s climax. It’s a great opening track, a neat line into the album that opens on a deceptively quiet note, hooking the listener in and then keeping them there. Stubborn Man is another track that wears its funky influences on its sleeve, the slinky guitar lines washed in reverb on the verse and giving way to an addictive, horn-soaked chorus. A subtle shift into Americana occurs next as the band offer up a Jesse Malin cover in the form of she don’t love me now, a song the band bend neatly to their will, the results reminiscent of latter-day Soul Asylum with its slight, country vibe, minor key shifts and narrative-based lyrics. A bluesier number, do me right has an introspective vibe that, with its crisp, synth-infused production, would have played perfectly on the radio back in the mid-eighties when such production was de rigueur. The first half concludes with the subtle, proggy after the fire, a short, sweet interlude awash with Gilmour-esque guitar.
Opening the album’s second side and segueing directly out of after the fire, the electronic percussion of Forever in me is another track that has an eighties vibe (albeit via Kings of Leon), the band slowly introducing each element from the bare-bones synth opening through to the strum of the acoustic guitar and hazy beat that emerges in the second verse. Another track that taps into the vein of melancholy Americana that Soul Asylum perfected on let your dim light shine, Someday soon is a lovely piece of acoustic-led pop-rock that bands just don’t seem to make anymore. Another track that opens on a subtle note with the guitars held in reserve for the chorus, The way she does it is a slight track that adopts a rather more commercial pose. It’s built around a nice melody, but it lacks the more vibrant approach of the earlier tracks on the album. Fortunately, the huge bass of Bad mistakes sweeps away the cobwebs and, with the fuzz on overload, builds nicely around a stark, blistering beat. It leaves the funky Go for it to bring the album to an end much as it started, with stinging guitars, swooning vocals and even a touch of hip hop in the beat, the result a cross between Beck, Bowie and the Pumpkins and an album highlight.
Ozone Park is a fantastic album, the likes of which few bands make these days. A decade or two ago and it would have been huge, garnering airplay the world over and racking up views on an MTV that still adhered to the ‘M’ in its name. Today, it’s an album unlikely to hit the stratosphere, but there’s no doubt that Hollis Brown, in part thanks to having a stable line up, have perfected their art on this outing. With only ten tracks, it’s an album that leaves the listener wanting more, with only the way she does it not quite hitting the high standard found elsewhere. Funky, soulful and filled to the brim with addictive melodies, Ozone Park is a great album with which to soundtrack the summer. 8.5
