Album Review

Rock Plaza Central
are we not horses


Rock Plaza Central manages to answer Devo with a question of their own.
I'll leave the title of the group's latest Yep Rock release, "Are We Not Horses," to you, dear reader, but I will say that the record always manages to keep you on your toes.
From the slightly unusual intrumentation to the somewhat obtuse verse of Rock Plaza Central's main songwriter, Chris Eaton, there's a lot to digest with "Are We Not Horses," and the record really demands repeated listening.
Stylistically, the record strives for a tone not unlike the one achieved by the Stones in their heyday (think Beggar's Banquet and Exile on Main Street). Intensely rooted in the blues, but at times uncharacteristicly sweet, "Are We Not Horses" manages to break a litany of alt-country rules -- namely a welcome lack of false bravado.
While the record didn't manage to me to rethink the alt-country genre (I have the Sons of Perdition to thank for that), it did manage to keep me interested.