The Bottom Line
With From the Pasture, the band has clearly spent more time focusing on making a polished record, and it really shows.
Pros
- "From the Pasture to the Future"
- "The Petrified Man"
- "Armando's Rhumba"
- "Motorway"
Cons
- None
Description
- Tight concise tunes and twirl-inducing jam numbers
- The Waybacks at the top of their game
- Invigorating arrangements; some of the band's best work to date
Guide Review - The Waybacks - From the Pasture to the Future
Sure, there are a lot of long hippy-style jams on From the Pasture to the Future, but it would hardly be a Waybacks album if it didn't venture into that territory.One thing is clear with this release, though: the band is finally coming into its own. As a live entity, The Waybacks have inexplainable energy. Talk to anyone who's seen the band live, and they can testify to the band's incredible dynamics and onstage persona.
Not everyone can make it to a Waybacks show, however, and recording is somewhat of a necessary evil. This band may not rehearse much, but that isn't really all that important. Their instincts are incredible, and each player is able to pick up where his bandmate has left off - whether it's the pinnacle of a serious jam, or a two-second embellishment between lyrics.
From the Pasture to the Future is full of divinely tight material that will speak to fans of new acoustic, contemporary folk, experimental bluegrass, and good old fashioned hippy jamming. There's even a little rhumba and an fantastic second-line romp through the Kinks' "Motorway." Beat that!
