Their quirk and excellence is first evident in the Atlanta based band’s name: Gringo Star. Their sound is encapsulated therein; a little bit of throw-back laced with the quirk, wit, and style of now. Floating Out to See, their new self-recorded, self-mixed, self-produced, and self-written album is an inexplicable force not only to be reckoned with, but also by which to be joyfully and completely overtaken.

We live in a musical age where lyrics take center stage. We want road trip sing-a-longs and lyrical quotes to tweet to the masses. Unfortunately, we’ve forced instrumentals to the back of the bus to be deployed only as gap-fillers between verses of poetry that can’t cut the mustard without a soundtrack. Not so with Gringo Star. They’ve taken instrumentals and dragged them back to their rightful home at center stage. The music is no longer a pretty frame for a less-than picture, but an equal partner in creating a desired atmosphere. The gringos have taken music and lyrics and reunited the two separate entities so they might be extensions of the same vision working together to create and enhance an overall listening experience. They are more than a band, they are makers of music; true musicians.

Gringo Star cannot fit in a neat little box. Sure, you’ll find some dashes of Pixies – “Find a Love” will conjure memories of “Where is My Mind?” – and Modest Mouse, but they can’t be fully explained by anything but their own music.  Take “Going Way Out” and “Lovesick”. They’re modern interpretations of early rock. Seemingly using the sounds of The Moody Blues, The Cavaliers, and other contemporaries as jumping off points, the gringos build on that base with their mastery of modern composition to create a true reimagining that stays far from homage territory. The island rocker “Want Some Fun” will carry you away to the land of coconuts and umbrella drinks. Close your eyes, and its rolling waves of surf rock and dreamy vocals will find you lounging on the beach with 21^st century Moondoggy and Gidget during a spirited beach party.  “Taller” is drenched in blues and “The Start” is as close as the band gets to a straight rocker. “Look For More,” however, is the missing link; the key to the album that snaps everything into focus. It’s by far the catchiest tune, where the shambolic meets necessary structure and where vintage meets 2013 with perfectly balanced portions of each.

With thirteen songs boasting various concoctions of early rock, the psychedelic, rockabilly, experimental, blues, and good ol’ indie rock, Gringo Star’s third album Floating Out to See will surely pique at least one of your musical interests. They’ve upcoming shows all over the eastern part of the U.S., with one at Atlanta’s Star Bar on November 23. Pick up their album and take in what promises to be a killer show, and you’ll have one more thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

– November 8th, 2013 – Dawson White

Gringo Star – “Find a Love”

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