Electronic Luck
C-Side, 2020
8/10
A long running Texas outfit spearheaded by brothers Brent and Colby Pennington, The Channel returns with a quarantine record, where 20 tracks unfold with their diverse, throwback influences and there’s even a Daniel Johnston cover, too.
“Songbird” starts the listen vocally strong with a psychedelic haze covering the many voices, and “Let’s Fall” follows with a playful guitar jangle as crisp percussion guides the melodic retro rocker.
Further along, “I Saw The Night” brings a folksy strumming to a tune with much atmosphere, while “Mello” offers a busy display of vintage rock that’s not short on sing-alongs and even some ambience. “The Entire Room Was An Inside Joke But Everyone Left Happy”, one of the best of the best, then adds some mystery to a sunny delivery of dreamy, soaring instrumentation.
Back half highlights include the nostalgic atmosphere of the college rock tinted “Silver Snake”, and “The End Is Near, But Not Here” injects some minor country nods to the unclassifiable dynamics. “Lord, Give Me Hope”, the Johnston cover, resides near the end and alternates between emotive, calmer moments and fuller, buzzing outsider rock that we all loved so much from the legend.
The Channel have been unusually prolific recently, with 2 albums in 1 year, and let’s hope that trend continues as their ‘60s indebted formula sounds better than ever on this career highlight record.
Travels well with: The Flaming Lips- King’s Mouth Music And Songs; The Black Angels- Death Song