Alternative group Elliot Root puts catchy, melodic spins on rock rhythms
Finals are full of stress, caffeine-induced anxiety and exhaustion. Nashville-based group Elliot Root, however, manages to conjure melodies that console, rhythms that satiate and a sound that just might get you through next week.
Elliot Root is a staple in any alternative rock playlist, especially for fans of Young the Giant, Mumford and Sons, The 1975 and James Bay. The group’s emphasis on melody inevitably results in catchy tunes, but they also manage to maintain a matured and developed sound via the texture and range of Scott Krueger’s voice. These sing-along choruses successfully avoid the predictability of radio pop. Catchy? Absolutely. Overdone? Not at all.
It is no surprise that they have slipped under the radar since they haven’t yet released a full-length album. Their top hit, “Punks & Poets,” has a little under 300,000 listens on Spotify, and most tracks aren’t even available on Youtube. But, despite this, Elliot Root seems destined for mainstream success.
The band’s music is currently available on SoundCloud, iTunes and even Spotify. But, better yet, according to the band’s website, Elliot Root plans to make a national appearance touring their newest EP. In fact, they have already announced an appearance at Firefly Music Festival, sharing the stage with headliners like Mumford and Sons, Florence & the Machine, Fetty Wap, Porter Robinson and numerous others.
Though I would recommend all of their songs (all 12 of them!), “Punks & Poets” remains one of my personal favorites; the passion of Krueger’s voice in the chorus makes for an excellent car sing-along in which embarrassment becomes irrelevant. No, I am not the person your friend saw dancing alone in a black Kia Spectra on University Avenue shamelessly belting “It’s an alliteration / Punks and Poets / Praying for no pain.”
“Soul is Fire,” a close second on my list of top 12 favorite Elliot Root songs, is the best example of this group’s two most striking aspects: lyricism and warm acoustics. The intro reverberates a simple chord progression, closely followed by the clarity of Krueger’s voice: “Maybe I don’t have the answers / Why you stand where people fall.”
One of the most interesting tracks, “Believe” highlights the group’s ability to test the boundaries of their sound. With prominent electric guitar riffs and the unique, rhythmed manner of speech found around 1:35, this track, yet again, validates their talent.
It won’t, sadly, make up for the Saturday evening final delaying your spring break by a gruesome 48 hours. But maybe it can help.
WRITTEN BY: Ally Overbay – arts@theaggie.org
