Search - Rose Hill Drive :: Moon Is the New Earth

No Sloppy Seconds Here

Sor_Fingers | Boulder, CO USA | 06/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The long-haired, 70's throwback power-trio outfit from Boulder, CO, Rose Hill Drive follows up their 2006 self titled debut with "Moon is the New Earth." Rose Hill is known for rocking their live audiences with their creative riff based tunes, extended jams, trash-can endings and amplifiers turned up to 11. On their self-titled debut, the band showed a lot of youthful energy, simple but catchy tunes, a strong political message and promise to become a great band after a little maturity. "Moon is the New Earth" is a step in the right direction. The contrast in cover art from the first record to this one is analogous to the musical contrast. The new record features more color, more sparkly production, better crafted song-writing, and a capture of the band's live energy that was especially lacking on the debut. Guitarist Daniel Sproul's guitar chops have seen incredible improvement and his musical vocabulary has expanded dramatically. If only he could get a little more time to develop a solo as he does live. Brother Jake Sproul's vocals have that playful delivery and his bass playing as also at a higher level. Drummer Nate Barnes gives more energy, more thunder and more power to the ensemble. Lyrically, the band has backed off the political slant and has written an album that's more about chicks, cars, and feeling good. This album just has a better overall feel to it, more optimistic and in love with life than in protest against the world. I just wish we could have at least one song of the epic scale that "Reptillian Blues" was on the debut (all the songs hover around 3-4 minutes) and we could have a little bit of really good acoustic writing (just one song, not a whole four song suite like on the debut, it's a good change of pace to the blistering rock n roll). Either way, this album is a good step forward for Rose Hill Drive. Keep an eye on these guys, they're headed in the right direction."

Rose Hill Drive - Moon is the New Earth

S. D. Mason | Greenville, NC | 09/05/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Moon is the New Earth (2008, Megaforce) Rose Hill Drive's second studio album. **1/2



Many critics have already given Rose Hill Drive the flattering comment that they are like Cream; a power trio of sorts who do hard rock. Problem is, that's about all they have in common. Let's get this straight; Rose Hill Drive are not Cream. Cream were innovators, men who fully understood the blues, mixing it with the sounds of psychedelia and setting the stage for hard rock and heavy metal. Cream were masters of their craft in every sense of the word. I cannot say the same for Rose Hill Drive. Yes, all three are very talented with their instruments, particularly Daniel Sproul, who time and again exerts sheer force over the guitar, but in no way are Rose Hill Drive being innovative. What they understand is how to copy songs from the 70's hard rock and heavy metal acts - that's the music they understand. But like Wolfmother, not only do they never show their blues side, they almost tell us that they've no understanding of it. And that is why this music isn't very good, because to play hard rock you must understand the blues, the very foundation of that music itself. And to mix it in with some of the powerpop trends of today is not only lazy but idiotic, as it's been done a thousand times before. Better go back to basics, fellas, because this brand of rock is nothing more than a cheap imitation of the Darkness."

One Step Closer to an Epic Album

Notorious Nate | Charlotte, NC | 07/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was an album I was nervous about hearing. I liked their debut album so much that I wondered how this young trio would follow it up. Well they did it. Moon is the new Earth has much more variation in song structure than their previous effort with lyrics that are both entertaining and intelligent. The best song on the album is Laughing in the Streets which has almost a QOTSA feel to it with its rhythmic guitars and sarcastic lyrics. Overall the album starts out very strong, slows in the middle, then gains momentum towards the finish. This is a very good sophomore effort that hints to bigger things in the near future."