Squeaky Feet: Cause for Alarm

How often does a band immediately resonate with you, no repeated listens or letting it grow on you, just one listen and you’re hooked? Well, at the recommendation of the Professor of Prog Ken Golden, I gave Cause For Alarm a spin and bingo! Intricate music, fiery guitar, varied instrumentation and rocking tunes reeled me in. Squeaky Feet hail from Denver Colorado, and are a mix of Jam Band with intricate arrangements, prog leanings, dashes of fusion and they keep the pedal pinned to the floor. “Chance to Grow� gives you so many different flavors, great guitar soloing, and the flute section will appeal to the prog fans. These guys definitely throw the kitchen sink at you, an anything goes attitude (this is good btw!!!). Guitar fans get ready, as good as the ending of this song is, wait until you hear “Little Bit Further�, it will blow your mind. I love the funky feel to this track, the band shows they can groove, but you have another guitar lovers tune right here. The excellent harmony lines that kick things off are tremendous, then a melodic solo as the bands slows the tempo over piano, and then the guitar fireworks come out, absolutely stunning.

I won’t lie, I definitely prefer the instrumental tracks, but the vocals work. “Generica� is an example where you get saxophone, more great guitar soloing, and a go-for-broke attitude. The band even conjures up a Latin flare during “Progress�, and Snarky Puppy’s Mark Lettieri guests on “Tunnel Vision�. A great opening riff, this one is quick and quirky, and what comes to mind after getting through the first six tracks is that these guys have to be amazing live. More great guitar greets you with the opening of “Shovelware�, and are you seeing a pattern here? Yes, guitar lovers should flock to this one without hesitation. The song definitely has the jam band feel from the vocal, but I do love how it morphs with the clever lines played in the breaks. Do I mention the amazing guitar solo in this one? Well, I did, and it is amazing! The arrangements are constantly morphing, if there is one thing this band is not is boring. “Pull The Lever� you could call one of their catchier tunes, it settles into a good groove, and uses the vocoder in the chorus to cool effect. I’ve talked often about how long albums can tend to drag, but this one clocks in at close to 80 minutes and I have yet to tire of it. “Premonition� might contain the bands heaviest playing, definitely a metal influence here. The title track closes the album, and the saxophone gets to strut its stuff, and of course, let’s add a guitar solo as a little icing on the cake. I love the twist at the end with a sudden stop, then a piano interlude that brings the band back in to give us more great music to finish things off.

The band consists of Colin Shore (gtr,vocals), Greg King (gtr), Jimmy Finnegan (Bass, Vocals), Kevin D’Angelo (Drums, Percussion, Programming) and Brian Keller (Keys, Synths, Vocals, Vocoder, Sax and Flute). I love hearing new bands that put their own spin on all their influences and come up with something fresh, and they own it. It’s these types of discoveries that keep me searching for new music, this band should have a bright future, they are a terrific group of musicians, and they will rock your socks off.

Track List:
1. Pantomime
2. Chance to Grow
3. Little Bit Further
4. Generica
5. Progress
6. Tunnel Vision (feat. Mark Lettieri)
7. Shovelware
8. Pull The Lever
9. Premonition
10. Cause For Alarm

Added: December 14th 2023
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 974
Language: english

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