The Ballantynes - Dark Drives, Life Signs LP

La Ti Da (2015)

If you want to point to a specific record that I have been waiting for over the last few years, the debut full length from The Ballantynes would be awfully high on my list.  Ever since I received their second 7" as part of a singles club, I have been completely hooked on this band.  I've bought every thing they've released the moment it came out and there was a zero percent chance that I would treat their full length any different.

The Ballantynes are very obvious disciples of the Stax and Motown catalogs.  They've created a powerhouse of a band with alternating deep, soulful male vocals and soaked in harmony female vocals.  This allows them to pay homage to the stylings of Otis Redding in one song and then seamlessly slide into the next track that will touch on the hallmarks of Carla Thomas.  Everything is just such a joy to listen to with the warm bass tones and economical drumming laying down the foundation that drives each number.  As this foundation is accented with touches of guitar, horns and organ, the songs take shape and simply explode with life.

I'll admit to being partial to the faster paced songs like "PMA," "My Place, Your Town" and "Argent."  That being said, when The Ballantynes really slow things down and go for the throat with tracks like "Ghosts" or "Cropper" the results are just as exciting.  Every time I listen to this album all I can think about is how much fun it probably is at a live show of theirs.  The band is based in Canada, but I really hope they end up coming down my way to play some shows now that this album is out.

Dark Drives, Life Signs is such a strange beast in 2015 and I mean that in the absolute best possible way.  You're just not going to find many bands playing such rich soulful music these days.  I guess it's just not fashionable, but the talent and musicianship that went into this record is at a much higher level than so much that comes out these days.  I couldn't possibly recommend this album along with all of the band's preceding singles highly enough.

The Ballantynes - Dark Drives, Life Signs:

https://latidarecords.bandcamp.com/album/dark-drives-life-signs-ltdr-lp004

The Ballantynes - Liquor Store Gun Store Pawn Shop Church 12"

La-Ti-Da (2013)

I have been following The Ballantynes for a little bit now and have eagerly grabbed all of their 7"s released prior to this newest EP.  I have to say, every time they put out something new I'm pretty blown away.  This 12" has six new songs of the garage tinged, 60's soul revival music that they've been churning out over the past few years.

The band has male/female fronted vocals switching from song to song, so you get equal parts Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin love from this band.  Or if you're looking for a modern day equivalent you could say they go back and forth between a more garage sounding Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and a more soul leaning Royal Headache. The production is incredible, the organ blasts adds so much to each track, but what really drives this EP home is the outstanding backing vocals that punctuate the songs.  They add so much authenticity and energy to the proceedings.  The Ballantynes wouldn't be anywhere near the force they are without them.

I can't recommend this band highly enough.  The is the Ballantynes 4th outstanding release over all.  Three 7"s and a 12" EP.  Though you can string them all together for a full length long experience, I say it's time for the band to crank out that LP I've been clamoring for.  I mean, surely the fact that I want to listen to it is more than enough reason to release one, right? 

The Ballantynes - Liquor Store Gun Store Pawn Shop Church 12"

http://latidarecords.bandcamp.com/album/liquor-store-gun-store-pawn-shop-church-ep-ltdrep001-2

The Ballantynes - Faith/Velvet 7"

The Ballantynes - Faith/Velvet 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

La Ti Da (2013)

From a singles series that I didn't buy yesterday to one today that I purchased the day it went on sale. La Ti Da records out of Canada has a series that while a bit delayed, is just packed with stellar records. The first one to show up at my door is the latest 7" from The Ballantynes. You can buy these records individually, but if you want the limited to 150 copies colored vinyl (white in this case) you need to be a subscriber.

Thus far The Ballantynes have only released 7"s, and I've bought them all. The first 2 were fantastic and this 3rd one raises the bar even higher. The Ballantynes play a throwback, but extremely authentic 60's Stax soul sound. The sultry vocals, the driving bass and even little nuances like the recording they've managed to get out of the guitars just takes me back to when I was younger and was first discovering the bands that inspired one of my earliest musical memories; the Blues Brothers.

As good as these 7"s have been, I think The Ballantynes will truly shine when they have a chance to put out a full album. There's something about the way they approach their music that assures me the best is yet to come and I simply can't wait for that to happen.

The Ballantynes - Faith/Velvet 7":
latidarecords.bandcamp.com/album/faith-velvet-7-ltdr016

The Ballantynes - The Message 7"

The Ballantynes - The Message 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

La-Ti-Da (2011)

After I heard the more recent Ballantynes 7" that I posted about last week, I knew I had to get their debut 7" right away, especially as it looked like it was out of print. It actually wasn't all that hard to find a copy at a distro so I grabbed it. I'm not sure I like it quite as much as the new 7", but it is still pretty fantastic. As a longtime follower of The Blues Brothers, I've always had a fascination with 60's rhythm & blues and it sure seams like The Ballantynes do too (though I can't comment on their level of respect for The Blues Brothers).

I really hope they have a full length in the works, as I would love to hear more from these guys. If I'm recommending, you should start with the Misery 7" of theirs, but the B-side on the Message 7", in particular, is a hell of a song.

The Ballantynes - The Message 7":
theballantynes.bandcamp.com/album/the-message-the-railtow...

The Ballantynes - Misery 7" - Red Vinyl (/150)

The Ballantynes - Misery 7" - Red Vinyl (/150), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

La-Ti-Da (2012)

This, for me, was kind of a bonus record when I ordered the La-Ti-Da pack of five 7"s so I could get the limited versions of the Tranzmitors & Needles//Pins records. I had never heard of this band before, so I went in not really expecting anything. Pretty darn impressed when all is said and done.

 The Ballantynes play a total 60s soul throwback. Complete with female backing vocals and the sort of swagger you haven't seen in music for a few decades. This is a band I'm going to keep an eye one and I already found an online shop that was still carrying their out of print first 7", so that's been ordered as well.

The Ballantynes - Misery 7:
theballantynes.bandcamp.com/album/misery-stay-7