The Buffalo Riot – Pale Blue Oceans (Self Released)

A going concern for over half a decade, Liverpool alt. rock quintet The Buffalo Riot have been plotting their own Americana inspired course without being swayed by fads and trends.

Taking their name from an uprising (in either 1862 or 1967, take your pick) in the titular New York suburb, debut LP Pale Blue Oceans (a nod to Dennis Wilson’s cult classic Pacific Ocean Blue possibly?) sonically nods towards Upstate New York: Woodstock, The Band, The Basement Tapes.

An impressive live proposition, the band’s self-described ‘Neon Country’ led by their triple pronged guitar line-up in addition to Stateside influences comes with a smidgen of The Verve’s star-gazing psych blow outs.

A concise half-hour, eight-track opening salvo, opener She Brings the Air showcases the outfit’s interlocking guitar lines in sterling fashion, while This Time shoots for Gram Parsons-style cosmic country. Elsewhere the title track is beautifully understated, the whole band playing in hushed tones, giving space to the harmonies of songwriters Ben Singleton and Iain Morley.

Produced by sticksman Andy Fernihough, the slide guitar textures and finer details are all captured in pin sharp hi-def, the result of a lengthy studio gestation. While an occasional dose of spikiness amid the calm surfaces would have been welcome, Pale Blue Oceans is an accomplished opening statement, with the follow up planned for later this year.